Ok this is at least PART of the weekend
Good morning. This is me. I realize that I haven’t written in a couple of days, but at least we’ve sent you pictures. I hope that that’s been ok. But, this morning I think I have to get back at it.Yeeks, scratch that thought. It’s now about 11:30 pm and we’re just getting back to what we were doing with thoughts of writing. I’m glad I have some time, but it seems like my ideal opportunity is already past, because we’re more sluggish in the afternoon.
We’ve been checking out several things between our tabs of AOL mail, this blog, MP.com and Facebook. We also checked out and downloaded Skype and have read through all the information MP.com has on deployment. We’re still trying to get it together. I’ve been in like a dreamland that’s half way between here and somewhere else not real. We did get outside for a few moments in that we had to pick up medicine. We got a late start on all that and it affected the way we roam. *Sigh*
We’re thinking we might take another muscle relaxer and Tylenol now though … we got bumped in a fender tag game on the expressway Saturday and our neck is still sore.
No damage was done to the car – It is a lot more durable than the Scion. The deal was that we had pulled to a stop from the middle lane of the expressway, because all the traffic in front of us had stopped. But, then I looked up into the rearview mirror and I knew the person in back of me wasn’t slowing down fast enough. I pushed my brakes so I wouldn’t get pushed into the car in front of me and I closed my eyes. Sure enough big bang!
This kind of stuff shakes me. I thought that the traffic was going to start up and the best thing we could do was to pull over and take care of the situation with the other driver. But, then the other driver took off. I never do these things right.
Rich likes to remind me of this … that make ourselves too vulnerable. I’d like to have faith in human kind, but Rich is saying I should have just sat and not gotten out until the person got out of her car and came up to exchange licenses. I shouldn’t have made it easy on her. This kind of stuff can drive me a little crazy. My thought was that I couldn’t be blocking the expressway when I could pull over more safely.
Eh … gotta let it go. Ok you … take the medicine, hmm?
There that’s better.
Well … I think we have reason to be writing how otherwise happy we’ve been over the last couple of days. On Friday night, Thom called to say that we could have him on Saturday … we might have said that already. Hmm, did we post from Saturday morning? Better check.
Hmm, maybe not … It does seem that we were tied up a lot. Well not literally, but at least figuratively. We woke up with Rich figuring we better get some housecleaning done. He had to leave within about an hour so we both did what we could and then I did a little more before he left at 8 am. I left about 9:15 am then to pick up Thom.
It was an ok ride there and we got there just in time. We stopped to wash the car, but not much else. I gave Thom an advance call and he met me outside. I’m glad we were both on time. We ran over with him a few things that we could do – first being that we were going to make sure he got something to eat. That turned out good and we headed for that – HiView Restaurant. Thom had a big strawberry waffle and we had omelet and hash browns.
We discussed and almost went to the gym. He didn’t have an interest in the MP.com dinner, but he did want to work out. We were going to get him some clothes over at Target, but then he figured out that we didn’t have a big indoor track and he didn’t want to run on the track mill because he didn’t want problems with his shin splints. That was fine, but left us with not much to be doing … I had already ruled out the zoo after figuring out it was chilly out there!
That’s when we brought up the idea of going out to see the new house. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Thom actually likes to look at new houses! WooHOO!
We had to stop at home and get the directions – both on paper and to my GPS thingy on the phone. That turned out to be a good decision because some roads were closed and we had to find our way around the normal pattern of traffic. Thom stayed patient with me and didn’t complain or suggest we go home before finding the place.
I was really relieved because I wanted very much to show him.
We talked about it a little before getting there in that Thom wanted to judge how close this was going to be to reality. Well you know my perspective. It’s as real as the nose on my face! We had been talking much between us non-stop at a very comfortable pace. There were so many questions to ask him or statements to be made.
But, when we got to the house then things turned just toward the house. He went in with me to meet Libby … she’s our sales person and we’d called ahead to tell her we were coming. She was delighted and happy to meet Thom. It turned out that her husband is also a Marine … WooHOO!!! That’s got to be good luck. She had a short conversation with him and he was very respectful of her. I’ve liked her from the start and that much more now!
I’d pointed out the house before we were going to talk to Libby. Thom asked if we had gotten the most expensive house and we had to agree. We told him there were a lot of variations though.
I’d like to pour slowly over the details, but the bottom line was that Thom liked the house very much. We walked slowly through all the downstairs rooms, and then we went upstairs and then down and then Thom went upstairs before we hung around downstairs again. You’ve probably already seen the picture we managed to get of him. WooHOO!!
Thom compared the house to others he’d liked and had visited and he discussed with me if we were going to be able to finance the house and how out of the way it would be from Chicago. We paid close attention to wherever his interests were. We challenged him to find something wrong with the house and then quickly took it back because we didn’t want to think of anything negative.
He liked the open format and generosity of rooms. He liked the balcony part like we did, but his turning point was in seeing the basement. I don’t know if it’s because kids like to build or what, but that’s what he had in mind – that he could turn that kind of space into almost anything. He couldn’t help but to notice the very high ceilings – they were 9 foot!
In Thom’s house the ceilings had been low and they were going through discussions on what it would take to raise them. I had thought the same kind of thing when I saw the basement. It was so big, bright and clean. I told him of the option of putting in a sliding door for exiting and Rich told him later that he’d put in an elevator and bring the boat into the basement. I’m pretty sure he was teasing, but it was an idea for doing the boat in cold weather Hehehe.
I delighted in everything Thom looked at and mentioned. He thought it was a good place for the cost. I liked this place better than Thom’s, but his place was $150,000 more. To be fair Thom’s place was more solid in that it was old design of thick walls, nice yard and good molding. But, for a new house this one can take so many design credits. He said we could make another room of the bedroom dressing rooms Hehehe funny kid. I know he noticed the big tub, nice size bedrooms and again openness in the family room.
He could see using the living and dining rooms too, but didn’t know what he’d do with the study. I would think he’d make a three wall desk for computers, but sigh … that’s how we at least imagine a place for Thom to be. I liked that he was imagining having it just between he and Alexis as a couple. I think plenty of room for a couple though we pointed out that you wouldn’t necessarily lose two people in it because the rooms were so open to each other.
He talked about how nice the island would be for cooking and that he’d take out the table in the breakfast nook and leave the space wide open. He thought that it was enough that had the island countertop and the dining room to eat. I still think though if you were going to have the guys over for a poker game, you’d want to use the space connecting the kitchen to the fire place. It’s just such a sweeping romantic thought … not that guys are romantic, but they’d truly find their sense of space.
I think Thom though was thinking like us that the place would be big enough to have a dog. He thought it be a good idea to fence in the back yard so the dog could run free. I’m not sure if they were having lots that could be closed up by fences.
Most likely yes, but we were reveling just in the thought that our son(s) would think like us in that the place definitely needed a dog! Our thoughts EXACTLY!
Maybe we would compromise and leave our kitchen table small … Just enough to place the four chairs around it. Thom pointed out after another trip around the place that we would need more furniture. I didn’t get a response to say anything as to if Rich would or would not be having furniture. I know that his wife has a storage unit and that it was written in that she give him first chance at it if he left, but I’m thinking that he’d rather buy new at this time.
Thom said in the end that if we could do the cost and the distance that he’d buy the place too. We talked to him of the places with options like the third car and the walkout basement, but then we also talked of maybe someday getting the display model. Thom didn’t think it was such a good idea to hire his father to paint though. I’m thinking most likely Rich might say the same, unless he could get some deal out of it, but then I know my ex. He’s not so much into making deals for anyone.
I suppose at that point it would only be to show off how nice a place we had. Well that and that resounding thought that I had always wanted him to paint our place.
After getting or going through a divorce that remained as my only real rewarding thought was that someday he could complete a project for us. If we got the model house … that would resolve all the painting issues.
Thom asked if we could get the furniture too and we agreed that that be pretty cool because it WAS well decorated, but we figure that that would end up in another place. They must have someone real good at that because they’d have to decorate the other 3-4 models too. It’s really nice heavy old antique-looking furniture. Sure could take off a burden on them if they just handed over the keys. It seems like the majority is an eggshell-sand color … I think it would be great!
Let's just dream a little longer...
posted by Ann Marie @ 3/03/2009 06:00:00 AM
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