Not So Fast!?

About 2 weeks ago, I got a phone call from our realtor. Bad news-- our buyer for our home in Idaho decided to back out of the sale.

It was one of those moments where you were certain it was a prank call, or there was a candid camera somewhere nearby, or maybe you were really just dreaming and would soon wake up to learn it was all your imagination.

Nevertheless, it was real. After being on the market for a full year, and with only one really interested buyer, we were facing the fact that, once again, our house would be back on the market.

To add to the misery was our homeowners insurance. It had ran out and we were on a "vacant home" policy. Translation: about $300 more per month to insure.

I was completely dumbfounded. I didn't know what to say. Our realtor was nearly in tears as well. She knew first hand how long we had come, how much heartache we had expended, how much financial strain it had been on us trying to maintain two houses in two different states separated by two thousand miles.

It was devastating news to say the least.

The realtor said that the lady, who is a recent widow, was overwhelmed with the sale, had little family support for it, had trouble leaving her past life and house as she had planned, etc. My first reaction, to be honest, was that the lady was getting cold feet and perhaps she'd come out of it and realize this. My second reaction was rage. How dare she pull out of this sale like this? She knew we had turned down 2 renters, had taken the house off the market for most of the month of August (a hot selling time just prior to school starting), had refused another interested buyer or two, etc. And, she knew we were in PA.

Our realtor said she would try to resolve the situation and get back to us in a few days. The call was on a Friday, so we had the entire weekend to go over and over the possibilities.

Tuesday morning, I get another call. The buyer was "back on". We offered any help we could to keep her engaged, including moving things into the house before the sale.

So, knock on wood-- the sale is still "on". In the mean time, I'm keeping the maker of Valium fully profitable.

Preston Picasso

We have begun the house tranformation. For whatever reason that I cannot explain, we decided to start on the office. Perhaps it is because it has the ugliest chandelier. Maybe it is because its the first thing you see once you enter the house. I have no idea why, but this is where we started.

Our color choice: a chocolate brown with white wainscot. The colors look great! And, it was my (Cade) choice.

Just as we thought we had it all pulled together and painted just how we wanted, we catch Preston in the act. So much for striving for perfection.

To his defense, he said he wanted to help. When we said no, he decided to offer his own help when we weren't looking.

Culture Clash

Michelle got the idea to travel to Smicksburg, PA, a week or so ago. I had never heard of the place-- chance are, you haven't either. When we arrived, I could see why. Smicksburg is a small Amish community-- maybe a few hundred people at most. By the looks of the place, it was probably 50/50 Amish v non-Amish. Quite the contrast.

Michelle had found the place in a AAA travel guide for PA. And, being only an hour away, we decided to go and see it.

After, all I can say is that there is a reason this place wasn't a stop on the typical Pennsylvania Dutch roadmap. We had fun, though.

We got in and had to find a place to eat. Not knowing where the local Amish eating hotspots were, I had to ask an Amish girl selling baked goods alongside the road. She did tell me that the best place was The Homestead, just up the road from where we were. I thanked her and bought some cherry-topped dessert.

The Homestead was a sight to behold. It was nothing more than a few tables and chairs in the corner of a convenience store. Not exactly the Amish delicatessen I was hoping for, but we were starved, so we wolfed down whatever crappy food the cook made for us.

We then "toured" the town-- all 3 blocks of it. It was wierd to have to share the road with so many buggies, though. Even the local shopping center was overridden with horses and carts.

And, I haven't seen so much horse crap on a road since my days living in Burley Idaho. Thankfully, Michelle didn't make me sanitize the tires every time I turned off the main strip.

We did have a good time, though. It wasn't the Amish paradise I had envisioned, but the kids got a kick out of it. It was their first up-close-and-personal with them.

After this, we drove the extra 20 minutes to Punxatawney, famous for Ground Hog Day. I was hoping to see something a bit more "touristy", but sadly, it was a run down place with concrete and steel groundhogs, roughly 7 feet tall, on every corner. I didn't see Bill Murray, either.

Another First

Another first day of school came and went without incident. The kids' vacation is over-- our's is just beginning.

Chrissa enters the 8th grade this year. Ethan enters 1st. The year promises to be a good one, I think. But, I can't help but dread the night-after-night Algebra assistance and science projects every quarter. To be honest, I think a lot of those grades that are earned are really mine

Anyway, here are the first day photos for this year... only exception is Chrissa. Poor thing has to be out the door before anyone else is up, so we never saw her leave that day. And, even though Preston and Amberlee aren't in school yet, we had to get them photographed, too.