Halleighluia! Something has finally broken loose. I have to back up a little in this story, wow, I really do wish that this blog let me put in paragraph breaks. Last weekend I took a training for a new scoring system that we have to use for judging synchronized swimming routines. I will have to use this when I judge at the north zone meet in five weeks. I was not feeling real secure about this so I contacted the Ohio Association about when they had their senior association meet. This way I could judge their routines and become more familiar with the whole thing. Rob decided that we could go down early for the meet, stop by at Heritage at Miami Bluffs to see where they have cleared trees for the new lots then spend time at the design center to start to make our choices. We would come home on Sunday after the meet was done. is would accomplish a few things, I could practice with the new scoring system, we would be able to get an idea of where we wanted to upgrade and we could see Douglas and Michelle. So we figured that we should let Mary the sales lady know that we were coming down. We didn't hear back and didn't hear back. Rob kept saying that maybe something was happening, yeah right. Well it turns out that there was news. Today we got an email from Mary, she will have the lot information sometime next week and can meet with us on the 9th or 10th about pricing. We need to get clarification on whether or not we can make any choices at the design center or if they all have to be made at the model home. So nice to finally have something going our way.

Well we decided to take the bull by the horns and go on the attack. Robert wrote an email to the sales lady asking her if she can talk to someone to let us start the entire process before the roads are in. I understand that they might not be able to promise the exact lot until it is staked out, but let us start. This way if we can get part of the 60 day process that they go through before they can start digging done before they can even start digging then let us get going. I hope that sentence makes sense. If we can get most of the design options and changes done then we will shorten the time before the house is done. If they could start to dig in April that would mean that we could move in August to October. Otherwise we are going to be moving in November or December. Ugh. We also have the issue of selling our house. Basically he told her that we have deadlines and don't want to move in bad weather so it is time to fish or cut bait. We have not yet heard back.

But wait, there's more..... I knew that I hadn't written about everything. We can go to the Drees design center and look around, but we cannot make an appointment, work with a design consultant or as far as I know ask any questions. We actually might do this, but it would be on a weekend when we are down there to sign everything. I don't see making a special trip just for that. I am trying hard to keep positive, but set backs like this are hard. As Denise said "somedays you are the windshield and some days you are the bug." I am tired of being the bug, isn't it time for me to be able to smash something?

"You can't always get what you want," I was downstairs weaving and things were just not going well. I kept making mistakes and wondered if this was a good idea. Then the phone rang, this is when you hear the "dum, dum, dum" that you get in movies. It was Denise, our very patient and understanding real estate agent. Oh dear, I could tell by the tone of her "hello" that this was not a happy call. So we talked about how cold it was instead. It isn't quite as cold there as here, but their houses and infrastructure are not built for the cold that they have right now. Both places are having the snowiest and coldest Januaries on record. This is not good news for the road building. so finally we got the nerve to discuss what she had called about. She spoke to Mary the sales lady yesterday. Yeah, not good news. She cannot write any contracts until the roads are in and they won't start to put the roads in until sometime in March. Sigh, this pushes our dates back to moving in sometime from mid September to mid November. Well, after I finish with the Common Ground Art Fair I would be ready to up and go. Mary is going to ask the highers up in Drees if there is any way that she can sell the lots before the roads are in so that we can start the design process. This way then once the roads are in and the lots ready they can start building. Here's hoping that those in positions of power will see reason. We have three weekends in February that we can go down there then two weekends that we can't. We really wanted to have this all done in February. Then because this wasn't enough Mary told Denise that they are not going to be doing much in the way of negotiations. She did mention $60,000.00 in upgrades for $30,000.00, but it might be $50,000.00 for $25,000.00. Either way, that isn't bad, we had hoped to get basically $80,000.00 for $40,000.00, but we can make this work. We have decided to go with UPack for the move and hire Labor Ready for loading and unloading. They can take up to two days to get the truck to us so we are figuring out what to do for those two days. We will pack a bin with essentials and wait for the truck. We had thought about staying with Douglas and Michelle, but Baron could be an issue with two dogs. At first we were going to borrow their airbed, but now I have decided that if Douglas and Michelle can get the futon to us we can sleep on that. So we have the move figured out, now we just need a place to move to.

Right now it is 5 degrees here and 16 in Cincinnati. Somehow I don't think that there is anything happening on the lots today or for the next couple of days. Now if we had started this last winter when it was so mild we would be fine. But last winter they didn't have the new lots, which they still don't have or the new designs. Oh well, maybe this cold snowy winter will ease up early. We have for some reason set February 15 as the date that we will sign the contract. If we take 6 - 8 months from then we will be moving in August 15 - October 15. For some reason this makes me feel better. I have something at which to aim. I am a person who needs a deadline. I have an almost full van load to take to Goodwill and I still have a lot to sort through. I have two boxes of yarn to give away and lot of fabric scraps. We have discussed different options for moving, renting a truck and hiring people to load and unload and driving the trucks ourself. If we would hire a moving company since we are crossing state lines you pay per pound and mile. If we drive it ourselves we don't. We have found a couple of work arounds. UHaul has a list of companies that will drive your rental for you. I know that PODS is expensive and a friend told me that she had the name for a place like PODS, but they were cheaper. I did a little research online and found one called UPack. I filled out the online quote request. They can provide loaders and unloaders. I kept putting in Mainville, OH and it kept putting in Mainville, PA. I changed it to Mason, OH figuring that it was close enough to Mainville. I got a quote back by email and it was very resonable. Rob still wants to look at different places, but this could solve our issue of driving trucks down twice. Things are looking up.

"Monday, Monday, so good to me." Yeah, Monday is actually good today, I mean if I discount the non functioning garage door and the dropping temps, things are going pretty well. We had a one hour+ phone call with Denise, our real estate agent about our negotiations, setting price, scheduling, etc. We both feel better now. We still don't have a lot, but when they get lots Denise will go take videos and we will have a plat map and we get first choice. Then at our next opportunity we will head down to start making our choices then negotiate and hopefully the ball will be rolling. Right now the target move in date is mid August. That would mean that I skip Levis Commons, not a huge deal, I will go back next year. I talked to Michelle yesterday and she said that Douglas might be part time on campus next fall, that could be a big help with our move. He will still have work part time, but maybe things aren't so bleak. I brought up 2 large boxes and 3 bags of things to donate to Goodwill, well one of the boxes I got as far as the landing on the basement stairs and Rob had to take it the rest of the way. He is out trying to open the garage door so I think that we will load all of this into the van to be taken in today or tomorrow. One step and a time.

Sigh, sigh, double sigh. OK so it isn't so bad, I just keep feeling as if we are taking one step forward and two steps back, then two steps forward and one back. This hokey pokey is getting old. I thought that I understood this who process of negotiating, then Rob had a lot of questions. How can we negotiate when we don't know which upgrades we want? How can we negotiate when we don't know how much our architechtural changes will cost? It would be like negotiating on a car but not knowing how much your extras will cost. We know the base price of the house and how much the lot premium will be but we don't know how much our changes will be. We can't make our deign choices until we sign but we don't know whih upgrades we want or what level on the upgrades. That odd sound that you hear is my stomach churning. On the good side I started to go through my closet. I got one rod done and have two garbage bags of clothes to go to Goodwill. Embarassing a few of them still have tags on them. Keep calm and sort more junk.

Another day another list of questions, some with answers, some without answers, I just keep lining up those dominoes. Last night Robert came home with another list for me to look over and to discuss. Do we want to move twice? Shoot me now. There are advantages to moving twice; we will be there to monitor the building, we will have the money from the sale of this house to use as the downpayment on the new house, we know that we will be there for sure for the birth of a grandchild, we will be able to sell our house and not worry. The downsides; moving twice, that should be enough, but lets continue, we would move twice, oh yeah, already covered that, would we find a place big enough to get our stuff in that we would need, the entra cost of moving twice, we would move twice, oh yeah, covered that, extra cost for storage, moving twice, extra cost of moving twice, I still have a lot to go through and get rid of and don't think that I could be ready to put the house on the market by March 1, and moving twice. No, we cannot keep the big loom in a non climate controlled storage unit. No, moving in May doesn't work for me. I have a show the 2nd weekend, I have synchro meet the 3rd weekend which would be my last as a Michigan judge then I have a show May 30 - June 1. Moving in June is possible but then I would be looking for a hotel for Ann Arbor art fair. I know that next year I will, but I can wait a year. I talked to Denise our very patient and understanding real estate agent. We discussed the downpayment issue, the moving twice issue and how the price negotiations will go. I feel much better. She also told us that she will be checking on the house as the building process goes on. That really made me feel better. She had called the sales lady this past Monday and didn't get a call back then she got my email about if things were ready. She is going to call again and try to get some answers. Unfortunatley we are in another deep freeze so while it is not as cold there it might be too cold for outside work and there is another cold snap coming. Why couldn't we have done this last year with the mild winter. I am feeling better about the whole thing and hope that soon things break loose. If we sign on February 1 and the can build it in the 6 month time frame, they say 6 - 8 months we would be moving in the house in mid August. That would be nice. Not that I really want to move in August that sucks, but Douglas would be available. Keep calm and get rid of junk.

I got the nerve up to email the sales lady to see if there was any reason for us to come down this weekend. Nope, nothing yet. So we will stay home and I will chair the meeting on Saturday. Mary however did say that they have been working on the lots. This made me feel better. The next two weekends are booked so the 2nd weekend of February is the next chance that we have to go down. The more that I think about it I am wondering if we can go down on a Wednesday morning. Mary the sales lady is off on Thursday and Friday and the design center where we make our choices is closed on Sunday and Monday. If we left here at 8:00 am we could be down there shortly after noon when the sales office opens. We could sign everything then have three days to make all of our choices. Now I just have to convince someone that this is a good idea. I did ask about the styles changing when their fiscal year ends. I don't think that Mary understood what I was asking. Oh well, no sense worrying about it now.

In today's mail there was a little brochure from Drees Homes - Heritage at Miami Bluffs and Mary Mollman. Now intelectually I knew that this was just a normal ad, they have our address so they send us something. The emotional part of me thought maybe this was something about new lots being opened or the new designs. Yeah, you know which it was. It was just quotes from three owners and how much they love living at Heritage. I can dream can't I? Getting harder to keep positive with each day that nothing happens.

Right now it is 52 in Cincinnati, yeah, maybe things will thaw. But wait, we know that this can't be things don't work out that easily. Yup, back down to 31 on Wednesday followed by one day in the 40's thne back to the 30's. Yeah, nothing is going to happen. We had planned to be down there next weekend, but Drees is still not able to finish the lots so there is nothing to look at. Sigh, I should have known that if I had everything set for us to be gone it would fall through. The two weekends after that we cannot go so hopefully everything will be done by the 2nd weekend of February. If we go 6 - 8 months from there plus add on the time that it takes to finish the roads and lots, yeah, we are looking at October. I need to pin Douglas down on what week he can be up here so that I know weather or not to apply to Levis Commons in August. The line of dominoes is getting longer.

I have been asked several times why we are waiting for a lot from Drees builders and not just going somewhere else to build a house or just buy a house. Here is why; Heritage at Miami Bluffs is the only 55+ community in the Ohio part of the Cincinnati area. We want a 55+ communityso that we have a group with whom we can socialize. There are several planned activities each month, there is a clubhouse with an exercise room, they have an outdoor pool so I am set for maybe 5 months a year and they are people our age. The house designs are what we are looking for. We don't need as much living area, but we still want the great kitchen, a large master bedroom and great master bath. Most houses when you get smaller those things get smaller. We will have a great room with our dining table and living room with the TV. No eat in kitchen, we will have a breakfast bar, not sure where I will file stuff if I don't have the end of the kitchen table. We also will not have a family room. I think that I will miss the family a bit, but it is time. If we moved to a regular neighborhood we would not have the clubhouse and we could have noisy teenagers around us. We are looking for peace and quiet. By moving here we have a social group ready for us to join them. They have monthly gatherings, movie nights, trips, different groups and exercise classes. Since we are moving to where our son and daughter-in-law live it could be very easy to depend on them for everything. As it is Douglas is going to be installing a lot for us. I don't want to have them be the only people who we do things with. They have their own lives and they have Michelle's family. While I hope that we can become a part of the extended family they still need their own time. We have also been told by different people that we should look in Kentucky. I don't want to live in Kentucky. There are a few 55+ communities there and they are very pricey. Most of them are part of country clubs which is not something that we want. It also puts us in a part of town that we don't want to live in. Douglas and Michelle right now live in Western Hills near Michelle's parents and about 24 miles from Heritage. After Douglas finishes his masters degree they are planning to move to Blue Ash which will put them half way between the two sets of parents. Smart move on their part, it also puts them in the best school district around. Douglas will be much closer to work and gets them out of their neighborhood. If we move to Kentucky it will put us much further from them. We don't want to be across the street, but we don't want to be that far from them. Things are warming up in Cincinnati, hopefully they will be able to stake the lots next week. Please keep your fingers crossed for something to happen.

It is cold here. I keep thinking that if they had a lot that we liked last April we could be in our new house now and while it is cold in Cincinnati it isn't -13. Another day in the house. I am trying to keep positive on this whole thing, but it is getting hard. Basically I think that for every super cold day that they have it puts the whole process back one week. The ground is too cold to do anything to it and it takes a long time for it to thaw. While they are not staking and finishing the lots I wonder if they have found other things for them to do. The entire thing is like a long line of dominoes. We don't know when our house will be done, so we don't know when we will be moving, which means that we don't know when to put our house on the market. Douglas has agreed to help us move if it is before August 25 when he starts classes full time. He will come up and help us get things ready for the move, get large things out of the basement and into the garage, down out of the garage attic, etc. However if we have not sold the house by August we really can't have things taken apart and packed into the garage. The urge to throw up my hands and quit is getting tempting. To keep positive I have set up several Pinterest boards for the new house. I am posting decorating and storage ideas. It is really fun to do. But I wonder when I will actually be able to do anything for real. There is an issue about the paint for the interior. I am all about color. I don't use bright bold colors, but I feel that the right color sets the tone for a room. I have a lovely relaxing blue in the living room and my studio. We have a bright cheery yellow in two of the bathrooms. Then we found out that they only have four color choices for us. Huh? Come on work with me here. They also use Porter Paints, that is a paint that contractors use and isn't really the best out there. I would love to have it painted in Baer paint. There are a few options here. One choice is to have everything repainted after we have moved in, not ideal. We could hire someone to repaint after we have closed, but that means that we are paying for maybe a week of mortgage when we are not living there. I would love to get my own paint and have the builder paint with that, but since that makes sense I am sure that I can't do that. In the mean time I will "Stay Calm and Keep Getting Rid of Junk."

Sigh, that's how I feel right now, one big "sigh." We are still in limbo and I am getting very tired of people telling me that if they haven't gotten the map to us that we will not be in the house for more than a year. Seriously, do I look like I need more negative news? I want positive feedback. Now I am told that we need to have someone to check on the progress every day during the build. Um, yeah, not happening. As it is Rob is trying to figure out how few trips we can take there. We cannot make our selections until we have signed the contract, but we can't sign the contract until they have the lots staked out. ARG!!!! We were told that we can go through the design center at any point, but the choices could change when their fiscal year ends March 31. The person with whom we will sign the contract doesn't work Thursday and Friday and the design center is not open on Mondays. So we could sign on Saturday then make design choices on Sunday, but I don't think that we can make all of our choices in one day. We could go to the design center on Friday, informally make our choices then come back after signing the contract. Sigh. Now we come down to the money/moving part. We will close on the new house before we close on the old house because we will be doing the move in two stages. We need the money for the down payment. Rob came up with the idea of moving twice. Just shoot me, seriously, just shoot me. He started to look for a place. He was looking for a 2 bedroom apartment. Then he realized that we both will be working from home so we needed more space. I did point out that if we got an apartment it would need to be on the ground floor because I can't use the loom above anyone. Then we discussed putting more work in a storage unit and would we need a climate controlled unit. Um, my big loom does not go in a non climate controlled space or the dining room set for that matter. I mentioned a bridge loan and that may be a possibility, sure beats moving twice. We still do not have a move date, or even a move month. I will keep getting the house ready and go from there. Douglas is planning to come up for a week in August to help us stage the move, hopefully the house will have sold by then. He will help us take stuff out of the basement and take a few things apart. I will have to have him show us how to get the TV off of the mounting bracket. I think that we can take the bed apart, but that could be tricky. As it stands now the double move is off of the table, lets hope that it stays that way.