citrinedragonfly

July has been a very busy month. So, I'm going to write down things in highlights and ughs, with commentary.

Highlights
~ I got to see all of my family! I finally met my nephew, who is super-cuddly and sweet. My niece is super-sweet, but shy around people she hasn't met often, a category into which I currently fall. But she's amazing and funny and smart!
~ The house is coming together really well! Our new dining set arrived today, so we're putting it together tomorrow. We also have a comfy chair for the main room, and a really sweet cushion for the library floor. I've washed and styled all the Monster High dolls that don't need Goo Gone in their hair, and they're all up on shelves. I've also gotten more Goo Gone spray, and gloves to protect my hands, so I can start on the hundred or so that need the full cleaning treatment.
~ I saw the Barbie movie! I've been waiting for this movie since the first teaser dropped. I've been super-hyped about it. The movie more than lived up to all the hype! I might do a review of it later. I think I want to go and see it again before I do. It made me so happy overall, even when it hit the feels and made me cry.
~ I had a chance to read! I love reading, but don't get a lot of time, even in the summer, and especially this summer, when I've been the main person on house-set-up duty, and I've been traveling on weekends. I've been listening to some new-to-me podcasts while doing stuff around the house, though, so I've been keeping my mind engaged.

Not Good Things
~ One of my colleagues passed away last week. Seeing the email from my principal caught me totally off-guard. Said colleague was our SSO, and was the funniest and friendliest person. It's going to be weird not seeing them in the mornings when I go in, since I hit the office around the same time they're getting ready to head off on morning rounds, or to see them in the hallways. I ran into one of my recently-graduated seniors at the grocery store the other day, and we had a moment of shared grief. The school community's going to have a lot of adjusting to do.

~Plumbing. Our contractor didn't install the sinks properly, from what the plumber told me today. We've been having water leakage in our bathroom sinks. Called the contractor who installed them, and he came out to fix them. We thought the problem had been solved, until we found more water underneath. So, time to call a specialist. The plumber came today and replaced the parts that needed replacing, and did some tweaks under each sink, where things were just a bit off in how they'd been assembled, so we should be good now. But that was a tidy sum on top of other things, and a hassle in general. The plumber was great, though. Fixed all four sinks in under 2 hours, and was super-friendly.

~Panic Attacks. My wife and I are both dealing with heightened anxiety, but I had a full-on panic spiral when we went down to Hampton Roads this past weekend to see my brother. We'd booked a hotel through Expedia, and it looked great online. We go to get directions once we've had dinner in Newport News, and Apple Maps tells me it's permanently closed. No, it isn't. We manage to get directions, and when we get there, it's under major renovation, meaning there's carpet torn up, with fresh rolls ready to go, not all of the amenities are available, etc. We get our keycards, and they don't work the first time. So, my wife goes to sort that out. Meanwhile, I can hear three separate conversations from inside other rooms, the place smells of smoke and must, and the light grime is making my skin start to crawl. When we do get inside, the room isn't any better. The smells are stronger, the TV is on (seriously weird), and half the lights don't work. The bathroom's lights are bare bulbs that crackle when they come on, and there is serious mold in the shower. Flytraps in the AC vents. And I cannot handle it. My wife is icked out as well, and so we decide we're not staying. Instead, we find a hotel I've stayed in before and know is good, but by now it's like 9pm. Thankfully, they have a room, so we're good. But I'm edgy that whole night as a result. I hate getting panic attacks, especially ones that leave me non-verbal and breathing hard enough that I feel like I'm hyperventilating. At least I didn't disassociate fully.

~Heat. It has been way too hot this July. We've had so many record heat days, and I know that it's only going to get worse each year. I am not a person who can deal with heat well. I also take meds that mean I'm more sensitive to heat. So, being outside in the 95+ weather has been awful.

Tomorrow, I take one of the guinea pigs for his annual check-up. He's going to be 7 in December, and we want to make sure he's doing okay, especially after he broke a tooth earlier this summer. The vet's further away now, and this will be his first big car ride since we brought them to the new place. He's not going to be happy. Next Thursday, I take his brother. I had the option of taking them both at the same time, but since I had to schedule the appointments for when my wife was at work, I split them up. I can't handle both of them at the vet on my own.

My wife and I drove to Hampton Roads, VA yesterday for a weekend away/family visit. We're still here, and going home tomorrow, but it's been so worth it so far. We went to my brother's place mid-morning, and got there before my sister and her family joined us (we found out last weekend when visiting with her that we'd both be down here at the same time, so we immediately planned a sibling hang-out). This meant I got to meet my nephew and play with him for a little while on my own. My wife isn't a huge fan of littles, but my nephew's in the age range she can tolerate. He's super-cuddly, and let us each hold him multiple times. He'd crawl over and climb up into our laps, and it just made me super happy!

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece arrived about half an hour after we did, and the two kids got along really well for being about two years apart in age. She still doesn't know us well enough to come over for hugs or high-fives, but we've become worthy of being blown kisses, so that's a win for me! We all had lunch in my brother's living room (his fiancée was sadly at work today), and my sister and her fam left a little after lunch to head back to their hotel so my niece could get her nap in before heading to the beach. We stayed and talked with my brother while my nephew napped, and played with him a little more after he woke up. He has the best smile and laugh! And he takes after my brother in his ingenuity and desire to go where he shouldn't.

We went shopping for a bit after we left my brother's place. There's a witchy shop in the conservative town we lived in back when I was in high school here, which surprised all of the siblings. My wife found it when looking for places to go on her phone. So, despite not really wanting to go back there, we went to the shop and it was so awesome! The owner is a local, and kind of stealthed her way into having a witchy shop by starting as a photography business and adding a shopfront as part of that. They apparently do moon rituals twice a month, and are on good terms with the locals. I chatted with her for a while and bought a few new things for my own practice, including an undated "Writual Planner", a Fluorite palm stone, a happiness candle, and a teaspoon. There is now officially one good place in that town, and I hope she continues doing well.

Following that, we went to the giant Barnes & Noble in Hampton, as well as the Joann's there, and found some fun things. I'd forgotten how cool the Hampton Towne Center is now. It's a mall in the original intent of the word. A lot like City Center in Newport News, but I think it's bigger. It was fun. And now, we've spent a quiet evening in our hotel.

We're heading over to my brother's again tomorrow, so we can see his fiancée and catch up with her as well. It won't be as long a visit, because it's after lunch, and we have to drive home afterward. But I really want to catch up with her. We have similar vibes in the witchy, Halloween-loving, fantasy-loving way. She's more of a green witch - if she's a witch, whereas I'm more a crystal/moon witch and a Wiccan. She's got tons of gorgeous plants at their place, and a statue of a seated smiling plump earth mother, which makes me think of a green witch. I want to ask her if she practices at all, and compare notes if she does.

One of my former students/current friends, who also works with my wife, is watching our guinea pigs. She sent us a video of her telling them they were good piigs while they were monching on lettuce, which made us both happy. She graduated 12-ish years ago, and kept in touch for years before I felt comfortable enough to hang out with her, and I'm so glad we can be friends.

It's a whirlwind trip, but definitely worth it. There's something about being away from home that relaxes in a way that even a do-nothing weekend at home can't.

Happy July! Happy Full Moon! It's been a very busy couple of weeks for me, so here are a few highlights/key things I want to share.

Moving!!!
We no longer live in the rural part of our county! We are fully in town now, and settling in to our new home. I love it. I'd love it more if I could find my teacher planner for the upcoming year so I could fill in the important dates, but you know. We've started getting boxes out of storage, putting up shelves, etc. We had people by on Friday to mount the TV to the wall, Xfinity came on Monday to upgrade our router and fix the weak service we had (apparently the people here before us had splitters galore and misconnected cables), and we've made a few trips to the home stores to pick up things we need for the space. We have a tiered list of things to purchase/acquire: Immediate(during July), Short Term (August & September), and Long Term (October & beyond). We'll reassess at the end of July, but we're making good inroads on the "Immediate" list so far. Tuesday we're taking a trip to IKEA to check off a few more things on the list.

Celebrated the Final Day of Pride with a Bang
One of my favorite bands, the Misbehavin' Maidens, is disbanding and going their separate ways. They had their final concert at a restaurant/bar called Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA on June 30. We found out about the concert back in April, and immediately snagged table-seating tickets. Had some amazing Korean Fried Chicken at a restaurant near the venue, so we wouldn't be tempted to over-eat while there, before heading to the gig. The place was sold out - no walk-ins allowed, only ticket-holders. I signed their farewell poster and snapped a pic of the board with the "What's next for the Maidens?" info, then went over to their merch table and got a bunch of fun stuff (bought more merch after the show, too). We were given a map to get to our seats, and our seats had our names on them. We were up front, on the right side of the stage, amazing view and acoustics. I'd had no idea our seats would be so good!

The opening band was the PDX Broadsides, who came from Portland, OR, to open for the Maidens. They were a lot of fun! I enjoyed their songs, and their cover of the Maidens' own "Drinks Don't Have a Fucking Gender". Didn't pick up merch, since while I liked them, I want to hear at least one more set before I commit to things entering my house. But I laughed and hollered and clapped along, and sang along to their final number, "Nathan Fillion, Please Take Off Your Pants", which had been a finalist in a filking contest, the name of which I can't remember.

There was about a 15-20 minute break between the Broadsides and the Maidens' first set. They played 2 sets, with a break in-between, and did not disappoint. They sang several of my favorites. They sang songs off of each album, and encouraged the audience to sing along and film. I snapped a few pictures, but I was too wrapped up in the concert to really think about taking more or trying to record. Rouge stood closest to where we sat, followed by Lucky Annie, Saber, and Flint. Flint had dice in their shoes! It was super-cool. The Maidens were doing a meet-and-greet/photo-op after the show, but we didn't get done til after 11:30, and we still had to drive home, so I decided to skip that part of the overall experience. I've met them at conventions in the past, and I did buy a photo of them all giving the camera the finger, which is very on-brand for them, so I'm happy. This was my first concert at a non-convention venue, and it was so good!

Family Stuff
My sister's family is settling in to their new townhome nicely. My 2 1/2 year old nibling keeps telling my sister, "I don't want to go back to the old house" when she picks her up from daycare. My nibling has strong opinions on things, and is quite a character. I adore her. My brother just proposed to his girlfriend/baby mama, so they're doing a low-key marriage ceremony sometime soon. I'm kind of annoyed at him, since he'd told Mom last Sunday, and I talked with him both Monday and Tuesday, and he didn't say a word about it. He did tell me that at the end of this year, they're moving out to central VA and in with his girlfriend's sister and her husband in order to save up a ton of money. I know the area they're moving to, and it's really nice. It's near where I went to college. It'll be a good place for my nibling, too. I still haven't met him yet, sadly, but two weeks, we're planning a weekend away to visit them in their current locale, near where they grew up and where I went to high school. My parents are doing well. I asked Mom today if we're doing anything for Dad's birthday over this coming weekend, and she said no, because she's in the middle of renovating her craft room, and doesn't want to worry about "making the house presentable" for us all. I might at least suggest meeting halfway for lunch as the weekend gets closer, so I can give him his birthday present, and give Mom the part of hers that accidentally got packed in storage before her birthday.

We took our boy to the vet yesterday. He's broken off his tooth cleanly, so there's no danger of him snagging it on his gums. Given that we're moving house tomorrow, and he isn't showing pain or discomfort, and he's still got a healthy appetite, the vet suggested that we not do anything to him medically right now, and bring him back in about a month to handle his dental troubles. She didn't want to add to his stress right now, and I don't blame her. Letting him get in and settled at the townhouse will be better for him. And we'll keep an eye on him, and bring him back if there's any change. So right now, we have a lop-toothed piig.

Yesterday, I wrote the check to pay off the remainder of our balance to our contractor. It's dropped our bank balance lower than I'd like, but we're still plenty secure. So, of course we have an unexpected expense crop up. Never fails, right?

We have two guinea pigs, a long-hair and a short-hair, both boars. Bonded brothers, one a year older than the other. The oldest is six. He's a pretty healthy piig (yes, the "ii" is intentional - it's how we refer to our boys) overall. But, it seems he's chipped a tooth. We saw he was eating his lettuce a little strangely last night, but kind of chalked it up to the leaf being big and new, since I'd just bought a fresh head of romaine for them. Nope! When I fed him his afternoon treat today, he had trouble holding it in his mouth. I tried holding it up for him, but he wasn't a fan of that. He got about 3/4 of the way through it before deciding nope, he wanted to get some hay back in his cage. We have a penned in area of the room where they live currently, so they get daily "yard time" outside of their cage. I picked him up a "flower" of hay - not sure what they're actually called, but it's the long fluffy bit on a thin stalk - to feed him, since it's one of his favorite treats, and when he tried to take it, I noticed the missing bit. He's broken off part of his right tooth. Again.

He did this twice last summer, and we have yet to figure out how. He doesn't seem to be in pain from it, since he's doing everything he usually does. He just has to eat more slowly and carefully. Even so, once I saw it was indeed broken off, I called the vet so we can get him checked out. It's almost time for his annual checkup anyway, but I'd budgeted that for August. The vet we use has two people who deal with small animals, so they're usually easy to schedule, but one's on vacation this week. Fortunately, there was an opening tomorrow afternoon. I booked that, and maybe an hour later the vet's office called to say someone had canceled a late morning appointment, if we wanted it. Why yes, yes we do. We're going to have his long hair trimmed/shaved at the back while he's there, since he will not tolerate a comb, and cutting it ourselves leads to lots of nips on shirts, and probably clean his sac as well.

I love our vet. We've been going to them since we adopted the piigs, and the office is lovely to work with. They call our boys by name, and refer to us as their people. They've also been super-convenient for us in our condo, since their primary office is right across the street, and the secondary office is up the road just about 10 minutes. That is the one thing I'm going to miss about moving into town, is the convenience of the vet. We'll still bring the piigs back to them - my students have complained about a lack of small animal or "exotic" vets in town - but they'll have to be in the carrier longer, which won't be fun for them.

Based on last year's tooth issues, we're gonna pay a couple hundred dollars for this vet visit. Again, we can afford it, but there's way, way less of a cushion than I'm used to seeing in the ledger. But while I'll put off a dental visit for myself (I apparently need a crown), I will not make my boys wait on care.

Everything is surprisingly still on schedule. I'm meeting our contractor at the house tomorrow for the final walkthrough to see his work, to give him his final payment, and collect our key from him. And from there, the house is as done as it's going to be before we put furniture in. I think. We have to clean the oven, and some of the shelves in the pantry, based on what we saw last time we were there.

We stopped by on Friday, after having lunch with a friend we haven't seen in several months - homemade empanadas, garden tour, and lots of fun conversation. We lost track of time while visiting. When we got to the house, our contractor and his guys weren't around. I'm assuming they were taking a break, or driving trash away, or something. It's the first time we've been in the house ourselves, without the Realtor or contractor there. Floors are all done everywhere, new appliances have been installed, the new exterior doors are gorgeous, the bathrooms have all been updated, there's sand between the bricks on our back patio, and overall it looks absolutely lovely. We left a plate of homemade cookies and a note there for the workers (we'd also brought one when we visited with our friend), as a thank you for all the work they've been doing.

I ran a load of boxes to our storage unit on Thursday, and asked about borrowing the box truck they have for customers. Our monthly payment goes through the day after the movers come, so we were hoping to rent the truck, get everything out, and close the account before the end of that day, so we could avoid another month's payment. However, the cost of borrowing the truck is about what we're paying for a month's rent. So, we've decided not to worry, and make trips to and from like we've been doing. The drive is much shorter - 2 miles as opposed to 10 each way - and we'll be able to bring things in at a less frenetic pace. We might still bring a few more loads of boxes over to the unit, just to make space for more boxes.

We spent today in hardcore packing mode, after making up boxes for Goodwill and gathering trash last night. We went to Goodwill to drop off the donations first, then stopped for lunch and came home. We used up all the boxes we'd got from the liquor store, so my wife went out to get more, and to drop off packages at FedEx of books she was sending off to an online bookseller. The library packing is almost complete. There are a few odd-sized books we still have to pack up, but I'm thinking a tote bag might be our best bet for those.

It's weird. I can see the progress we've made. I know we've been working hard. But there is still so much stuff! And stuff we've gone through carefully and plan to keep. Hardcore packing mode will continue into the week. Luckily, we've made a plan, and we've mostly been keeping up with things. I'm using one of my dot markers to check off items as we do them, even if we do them a day later or earlier than what we have on the schedule. It all has to get done anyway, after all. But it's exhausting. We have not been kind to our future selves.

But! Plan remains intact. Movers are coming this Thursday. We're cleaning and getting the last of our stuff out on Friday, and leaving the keys for the condo locked inside. Our landlord has a key, so he'll be able to come and collect the keys we've left, and then hopefully we'll get our "deposit" back - I'm pretty sure it's in our contract that we get it back regardless, but my wife isn't so sure. But, one way or the other, we're out by Saturday. Much as I'm grousing about the process of packing, I cannot wait!

I've recently been watching various Asian series on Netflix, mostly in the horror/psychological thriller/dystopian genre lately. Squid Game was my first foray into the genre, about six months after everyone else had seen it and sung its praises. I enjoyed the moral questions it raised, and the arcs of the different characters, so I decided to try more in that genre. I've also been a big fan of Battle Royale - both the novel and the film - for nearly 20 years. So I'm familiar with some of the conventions the more recent things are going off of. These are the three most recent series I've watched.

Girl From Nowhere
A Thai series about a girl named Nanno, who is forever the new girl at school. And while at school, she ends up revealing the ugly truths about teachers and/or students, and delivering her own particular brand of justice to the ones who do wrong. It can be gory, and there's a lot of dealing with sexual trauma. If either of those aren't your thing, don't watch. Or find the episode where Nanno's at an all girls school where how beautiful you are determines your privileges on campus. That has some violence and gore, but no sexual assault. There are two seasons out, and rumors of a third season haven't died yet. I'd love a third season, because I want to see what certain recurring characters who debuted in the second season do, and how Nanno would counter them.

Alice in Borderland
A Japanese series that follows Arisu and his friends as they find themselves in a twisted mirror of Tokyo, where they have to play deadly games in order to survive. Along the way, Arisu meets a girl named Usagi, and the two form an alliance, then a friendship, and then...more? No spoilers! It has two seasons, and based on the finale of season 2, there really can't be more - at least not with Arisu, Usagi, and the group of characters that we end up following. There are so many references to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, not just Arisu and Usagi, that if you've read Carroll, it'll be a fun "spot the reference" in the middle of a very harrowing story about relationships, survival, and what people are willing to do or not do in order to survive and return home. The twist at the end of season 2 was genuinely shocking, and if you've not seen it, don't go spoil it if you intend to watch.

Re: Mind
Another entry from Japan, and one I'm currently in the middle of watching. It's 13 episodes, and I've just finished episode 9. It's definitely a psychological more than physical horror. The basic premise is that 11 girls from a graduating senior class wake up and find themselves trapped at a weird dining table in a room full of seemingly random things. Their feet are shackled to the floor, but other than that they're unencumbered, so there is some movement they can do. As they try to figure out where they are, who kidnapped them and trapped them, the girls start disappearing one by one - vanishing without a trace when the lights go out - which increases the tension. The story emerges in the extreme circumstance, and right now, I'm honestly not sure who is behind the plot. Every time the girls think they have it figured out, one of them notices something in the room that triggers a memory and has them questioning what they know, and everyone has secrets they don't want to share, but are relevant to the motive of their captivity. Each episode is about 20 minutes long, so I'll finish the series tomorrow.

And that is it so far. If anyone has any recommendations, based on the types of shows I've described, I'd love to hear them!

Oh, nearly forgot: I am rewatching my comfort watch of Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse as well. It is one of my all-time favorite shows, not just cartoons. It's fun, witty, meta, and the CG animation works really well. I'm fairly certain that most of the humor is aimed at adults, but the situations are easily accessible to Barbie's target audience of younger people. Plus, Nakia Burisse, who played Tanya in Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo is the voice of Nikki! I love when I find more recent projects that former Rangers have done.

Two weeks from now, I'll be in my townhouse. Hopefully, I'll have internet that isn't my phone being used as a hotspot. Scheduling and setting up a new account with our ISP is one of the many, many tasks on the list to finalize the move in the next two weeks.

We still have a lot of things to pack. We have furniture and small appliances to freecycle. We have address changes out the wazoo to make. We have to confirm a moving time. We have to make sure our contractor is well and truly done. We have to do a purification ritual on the new house, and clean the condo. We have electronics to recycle. Did I mention packing? Still so much packing. I did a couple of boxes today, and while it makes a visible dent, it's not enough of one that I'm super stoked about it.

Tomorrow after my wife gets home from work, we're going into town to see what's been happening over the weekend. Our contractor says everything should be done by the end of this week, which would be great for us. We can take my doll shelves over and start hanging them before boxes and furniture fill the space. We can start taking over small appliances and things to stock the pantry that we won't need during that one week, but that we want to keep. Heck, I can take over the suitcase full of hanging clothes I packed, along with hangars, and start putting them in the new closet. We can get a roll of artists' tape and mark out where furniture should go, to make it easier for the movers.

Lots to do, and my anxiety brain is making executive function difficult.

I think I had a pretty good balance between doing things that needed doing, and things that were fun to do. I decided to splurge on a good long shower and shaved my legs for the first time in over a year. The water bill at the condo is rolled into the HOA fee, and since we're technically renting now, that isn't my responsibility. I spent some time coloring and journaling, and rewatched all of the Rainbow High cartoon on Netflix. It's about 5-6 hours' worth of content, and it's something I can have on in the background while I do other things, like color or play sudoku on my phone. Rainbow High and its spinoff line, Shadow High, are two of the doll lines that I collect, and I think the cartoon is cute, if a bit shallow at times. Though the third season, the "Rainbow Vision" arc, has a pretty good story. It's Eurovision between high schools, and the songs are surprisingly good.

I did some tidying around the house today, and loaded up 9 boxes of books and DVDs into my car. I took those to our storage unit, then headed over to the townhouse to talk with our contractor and see the progress. It looks so pretty! He says it'll take him and his crew about another week to finish, which is a week earlier than his original estimate, and despite some odd things he's had to deal with while working.

What type of odd things, one might ask? One of the bathroom mirrors had been put up with gorilla glue, for starters. When he'd installed the new HVAC and checked the vents, he found some weren't blowing air. So, he pulled the covers off to figure out why, and discovered that the previous owner or tenant (it had been rented out by the owner before they decided to sell) had stuffed towels and blankets into some of the vents. Why? I have no idea. I also have no idea why there were no air filters in the air returns. The vents are covered in dust. He's turned the AC off so he can clean it out, since we're all very lucky that nothing caught fire.

Despite the setbacks, the townhouse looks amazing! It's still in progress, but our contractor is so excited to show us around whenever we stop by - and he encourages us to stop by. It doesn't look like the same house, in a good way. I got to see the light fixtures he's installing in the main rooms and in the basement, as well as the bathroom and hall fixtures, and I like them a lot. He's installing the new storm door and patio doors over the weekend, as well as the basement flooring - a soft gray laminate with fake woodgrain, to help brighten up the space.

My wife comes home from visiting with her parents tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to do more cleaning and tidying, and more packing. Right now, we have a week between the work being finished, and the movers coming. I need to take down my doll shelves so we can bring them over and set them up in the basement, since that's where my space will be. There's a lot we can do in terms of bringing things over to the house ourselves, which will make it easier and cheaper for the movers, since they'll have the furniture and some of the boxes, but not everything.

But, that's a concern for another day. My current concern is getting "Look by Natasha" out of my head before I fall asleep!

I currently live in a rural area, about 12 miles from the town that serves as our county seat. In Virginia, cities aren't part of counties, so the largest population sprawl in a county is a town. The school where I teach is in the town 12 miles away. It's about a 20 minute commute for me each way. I've lived in this village since I started working - renting first an apartment, and then a duplex, before buying a condo with my wife not too long before my 30th birthday. We've been in this condo for over 10 years, and it, and the village, have become too small for us.

My wife has wanted to move into town for years now, and dealing with lockdown and other pandemic-related stressors finally tipped me into realizing what she'd understood before me. We needed to move. This past school year, I felt it even more keenly than before, so we decided that 2023 was going to be the year of the move. I started telling my colleagues, my students, my family and friends, etc. about the plan. My wife kept joking that all she wanted for her birthday was a house in town.

We sold our condo without putting it on the market, thanks to the amazing Realtor we'd chosen to work with, and her knowing of a potential buyer who was very motivated to get a condo in our area. We closed in mid-April, with a deal that we could rent back for May and June without paying rent (our Realtor is good, and without making improvements aside from replacing batteries in smoke detectors. We sold for more than we paid, and that chunk of change, while it never got marked in my ledger, sat in our checking account to serve as a down payment for the place we'd eventually buy, whatever that was. The rental deal gave us time to look for and find a place in town, in our price range.

The listing for the townhouse we ended up buying went up on my wife's birthday. We put in an offer, sight just about unseen, and toured after. And oh, boy, did it need work. But! Our Realtor (have I mentioned how awesome she is?) knows a contractor who works on lots of properties she sells, and on her own home, and had him come out to look at the place while we were debating the offer. The amount of work it needed, between his assessment and the inspector's assessment, was about what we'd have had to put into our condo in order to make it "move in ready" to go on the market. So, we're spending the same amount of money we would have had to spend here, but on a place we're going to live in and enjoy.

We closed on the last day of the school year, and our contractor started work about a week later. The place looks so good already, and it's still in progress. I'll probably put a few before and after pictures here once its finished, but he and his guys have done so much of the major work in just a week that I'm super-impressed. He says he'll be finished in another week to week and a half, last we spoke with him, so we're scheduling movers for the last full weekend in June.

We've been packing boxes slowly and steadily (and still have so many more to pack), and taking them to a storage unit we rented in town. Hopefully, the haze will be less dangerous tomorrow, so I can load up my car and take at least one more load over, and then go check up on the progress at the townhouse, and pick up the mail there.

I cannot wait until we move! We'll be out of the condo before the end of June, so we won't owe our landlord any rent at all, and the "security fee" we put up will come back to us (it comes back regardless, thanks to our lovely Realtor), and that can go toward things for the house that we'll need. Like paying for the movers, or getting furniture that we need to replace, or any of the myriad things you need when moving.

The last few months have been a whirlwind on that front, and will continue to be so until the end of June. But it is so, so worth it to have a house that we love, fixed up the way we want, in a friendly neighborhood with an HOA that's well-established and not full of petty BS.