Wednesday, September 10, 2008

HIP HIP HOORAY The house is ours today!

It seems to have been a long time since I've written but it hasn't been because nothing was going on. On the contrary, there has been so much happening that there wasn't time. Here's the very abridged version of events: In February and March I was in Utah to babysit while Erin studied for the bar but ended up caring for my mother who was very ill instead. Got my mom moved into an assisted living facility. Went into high gear for wedding preparations after Megan announced her engagement in March. Went back to Utah when my mother had a stroke in May. Stayed in Utah to help with my mom until going to Idaho for Megan's wedding in June. Came home for her reception in CT and to get Mollie shipped off to England for a study abroad program Then back to Utah when my mom died in July.

It was a difficult time and I felt bad that Megan's wedding was overshadowed by my mother's impending death. The stroke left her unable to swallow (or speak) so we knew her death was not far off. (We weren't going to put a feeding tube in a 90-yr-old woman who was already in poor health.) I'm sorry Meg and I didn't get to spend more time together doing wedding things but it couldn't be helped.

But the big news today is that we got our release of mortgage and we finally own our house! We went out to eat to celebrate. We went to a Mexican restaurant where we had a buy one, get one free coupon. Do we know how to celebrate or what?

Unfortunately, now it is time to spend $10,000 for a new roof. We had monsoon-like rain last weekend and had a steady leak from the light in our bedroom onto our bed. I slept on the couch that night because I didn't want to be dripped on but Allan stuck it out in the bedroom. I've slept in tents that were drier in a downpour. What a boring thing to have to spend money on.

We're heading out to Utah via Arkansas in a couple of weeks. We will visit Allan's family in Arkansas and then drive on out to pick up some things from my mother's estate. Then we will be back out there in December. I have rented a cabin in Idaho so we can have the whole family together for Christmas. Chad will not have any time off so they wouldn't be able to come home. I have been in Utah a lot the last couple of years but this will make five trips this year which I think is a record.

That's all for now.