Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man"

"Little Lion Man"

Weep for yourself, my man,
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep, little lion man,
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Take all the courage you have left
Wasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?

Tremble for yourself, my man,
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble, little lion man,
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face,
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?

[harmonizing]

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?

Electric Recliner

I thought that I would share an update with you on my dad. When I got to the hospice after traveling from the airport everyone was here! Well not everyone, but a lot of people were. My dad's and mom's good friends Kim and Jerry were there, as well as my cousin Bruce and his wife Tami (who I met for the first time in my last visit in November......first cousin's and our first meeting was almost 30 years later?) and my other cousin 1st cousin Brian. (again first meeting, 27 years) Daryl had told me that today was a very good day He was talking clearly and alert and wanting to see everyone..but by the time I got there he was tired and he was sleeping again. I was apprehensive.....but I eventually wandered in the room from the common area where we were all talking and gave him a kiss. I sat with him and tried to converse, but the day had wore him out and he was beginning to get hard to understand. The tumor is beginning to regrow and it along with the infection are causing swelling and pressure in the brain that are pushing against the part of the brain that control speech. Certain phrases come out jumbled.I figured I would let him rest since I would be there all night and for a couple of days.

Friday night I went to dinner with Bruce, Tami, and Brian. We went to this local restaurant called BubbaQues. It was a total hick BBQ chain joint. It had that cafeteria type feel, with fishing lures decor, wooden posts and a trash can with a toilet seat as the lid. Brian was a little apprehensive because of the misspellings everywhere...."We kin kater yer next party." We all got our fill of the cuisine and headed back. Because of my trip I was so tired, when everyone decided to leave for the evening I tried to crash out. That didn't go over too well because I was nervous about everything, and every rustle in the bed, sounds in the hall, everything woke me up.

On Saturday we had a good day. Dad was hungry so the kitchen staff....who could ruin toast....made him some scrambled eggs and sausage. He was very alert and talking very clearly. Even when you think he is sleeping, unless his mouth is hanging open or he is snoring, he was awake and listening to the conversation. He would add in a couple of "love you's" or "that's right" kinda comments and he would smile at every story that was told. There have been A LOT of fun times. Brian and dad took a nap around 1 and I went and called Darin to check on our move...poor guy had to move without me. We have had a whirlwind of visitors and everyday it is nice to see a new or even old face. It really lights up his face. At about 2pm my cousin Bruce, Tami and their 2 kids Hayley and Gavin arrived, but dad was zonked out. We had a nice conversation outside and then once he finally stirred the kids went in to talk to their Uncle Bobby. After a good conversation dad worked up an appetite and wanted some dinner. We had planned on going to "The Abbey" for their famous chicken wings and we were going to bring back some for daddy. We get their and Brian orders 20, I order 10 and Bruce ordered 10, Hayley ordered a grilled cheese (another favorite of mine) Gavin had chicken strips, and Tami had nachos. Not even three minutes later the waitress came back with menu's stating that they were completely out of chicken wings.....at 5PM....on a Saturday! WHAT?!?! Bummed I ordered my grilled cheese and proceeded to teach my niece how to make a hat out of a cloth napkin and try and keep up conversation between siblings that equally wanted my attention. Whew, what a chore! We brought back some chicken strips for dad and then the nurse decided that we should try and put him into the recliner in the room. We sat there for a good 10 minutes before we realized the damn thing was electric. It had a button to lean you back into a supine position as well as one that can assist you out of the chair! If the damn thing hadn't been so ugly I might have considered taking it home with me! We had visitors from John, Charlene and Dan. (??) After all that we had to say goodnight to my cousin Brian as he had to return on Sunday back to Massachusetts to his newborn baby girl Sophia and his wife Liz.

Sunday was another eventful day of visitors, we had the neighbors Jeff and Stacy, Jerry, James, neighbors Wendy and Joe, Doug and Debbie, and I am sure there was someone else that I am missing (sorry to that person.....wait....New York Steve!) I heard many wonderfully funny stories and we had some more Abbey food brought in to us from Doug and Debbie. Sunday and Monday (today) were slower days. Dad woke up later in the day and took longer naps, but is still talking and involved in the conversation. Visitor's were slower too. (work day and all) My Aunt Marcia, my mom's best friends dad Papaw, neighbor Jeff's mother and sister, Doug, and neighbor Joe brought us pizza from Franchesca's. After we ate John brought us some Gnarley Head wine. We popped that bad boy and as Daryl was pouring a nurse said, "You can't drink wine." So we didn't....we had dark red raspberry tea in coffee cups :-P Now here I am at 11 PM after this whirlwind. Utterly exhausted from emotions, but am so very glad to see just how many people love my dad. He is a wonderful human being and loves most everyone he comes into contact with wholeheartedly. I can only hope to be half the person he is.

Tomorrow my uncle Brian and my dad's two very best friends from childhood are coming. It will be another wonderful day of stories and love from all sides. We are truly blessed to have the people that we have in our lives. We have family and our second families (friends) and we should cherish every moment that we have with them. I hope that after reading this, you go to those that you love and give them a hug. Tell them you love them whenever you get a chance, forgive them when they make mistakes, and just always be there when they need you and they are there for you when you are in need.

Love you all

Overbooked Flight and Hidden Litter Box

Ok, so here is my attempt to stay relatively normal throughout this process. Today was an interesting day to say the least. Mornings are never my friend. Especially when I have only gotten 4 hours sleep. :-/ After finally getting to sleep around 1 AM, I had to roll right back out at 5AM to make my 7 o'clock flight at Burbank International Airport. Picture this; pitch black, pouring rain, and a whiny dog in the back seat. Sounds like fun huh? Well we had to stop into Jack in the Box to get Darin a soda because he was feeling low which put is behind schedule, granted we got off on the wrong foot because of the rude drive-thru guy, but that's neither here nor there. After a panic attack about a missed exit and stress about missing my flight due to increased security we got there. I gave my wonderful husband a big hug and off I went. Made it through baggage check and security in less than 15 minutes, which is why I go to Burbank! None of this hour crap! Got to my gate with just enough time to send a few texts and make a couple of phone calls then we were boarded and on our way to Vegas.

Knowing that the trip was going to be a short one, I didn't even bother to try and nap. I don't know if that was a good or bad thing, because when we started to make our decent into Las Vegas, the pilot decided to do a handful of maneuvers reminiscent of a roller coaster ride that left me feeling sick to my stomach. Wonderful. As a person that doesn't like to fly and hates roller coasters even more, this was not my idea of fun. I bolted off that plane hoping to have enough time to eat a little something before my connecting flight....ha. That idea was short lived as I exited the plane at 8am, I looked at the board for my next gate to realize that it was clear across the airport and my next flight was at 8:45. Just enough time to jet across the terminals and buy a bag of Chex Mix. While I was waiting for my group to be called, the flight attendants for the flight kept coming over the speaker in the terminal asking for anyone that had a flexible schedule and wanted to be compensated for taking a later flight. In my mind I was thinking....Uh NO! I get to board the plane and find a seat relatively up close to the front. I parked my butt and prepared to wait. They overbooked the flight! So this poor guy was left to stand there and wait for them to figure out what to do. We sat in the gate for almost 30 minutes! >/ Finally we were on our way, but to no avail my flight did not get better. My vain attempt to get some rest was jolted awake after only 30 minutes by Mister I wanna kick and bang my head against the back of your seat. And when I asked the flight attendant for a beverage she gave me attitude. I mean what does she have to do? Get drinks and stand there. That's it! Her job gets easier and easier as the airlines become cheaper and cheaper. She doesn't have to bring out meals, or put the movie on and sell headphones. She has to pass out peanuts and 2 rounds of drinks to a quarter of the plane! My god! Sign me up! Once I landed I rushed off that plane, just to wait at baggage claim for another half an hour for them to figure out which carousel they were going to use. At least my time wasn't wasted. Oh no....as I was perusing Sky Mall Magazine (the magazine that they put in your seat back pocket in an attempt to sell you useless crap that you'll never need) I found this beauty!

"With its Tuscany handfinish, our new litter box looks like a real clay pot, complete with an attractive, artificial decorator plant. Simply turn the entrance to the wall and no one will know (if your cat doesn't tell)!

Finally, A Decorative Litter Box You Don't Have To Hide!
This roomy, covered litter box is constructed of durable polypropylene with removable top section for easy filling and cleaning. A filtered and vented system helps to control odor and dust. Add a blanket or pillow and it can also be used as a secret bed instead of a litter box"

 I am sorry, but this in NO WAY looks like a real clay pot. It looks like a cheap plastic cat-box version of a outdoor dog house. Who would really purchase this and put it into their home? I mean come on! I mean the real topper is the fake plastic plant sticking out of the top. Classy! Just thought that I would share a little pleasantness from my otherwise stressful trip to Florida.

Love you all!

Some Time is Needed

To my fellow bloggers and followers. I apologize for my absence. Some things have come up in my personal life that has me traveling to Florida to visit my father. His battle with brain cancer has been long and rough. He still fights the battle, but I ask that you all send prayers to the heavens to help him find the strength to beat this horrible disease. I will be out of touch via this blog for at least a week. I have scheduled a couple of video's to post, however I might be blogging off and on in an attempt to keep myself grounded, but will apologize in advance if they turn out to be solemn.

A note to my wonderful husband - I love you more than words can describe. You are my rock in my time of need and are always there for me. Thank you for holding down the fort and keeping me relatively sane throughout this ordeal. In dark times you are my light that gets me through.

To my family and friends - I am blessed to have you in my life and your support for all that I am and do. Thank you for being kind, gracious and giving me great advice. I listen and hear it all. You all make me a better person. You are always there when I need a shoulder, and I could never thank you all enough.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

S & M - Rihanna

Ok ok. I really like this song....it's very catchy. But I am confused....didn't we see this artist a couple of years ago who was in a domestic abuse case against Chris Brown? Now she is singing about "Now the Pain is my pleasure"? Please don't get me wrong, I don't fault her for filing the case against Mr. Brown. Nobody should be abused physically or mentally. I just think that this song is sending a mixed message.

Feels so good being bad
There’s no way I’m turning back
Now the pain is my pleasure
Cause nothing could measure

Love is great, love is fine
Out the box, out of line
The affliction of the feeling
Leaves me wanting more

Cause I may be bad
But I’m perfectly good at it
Sex in the air
I don’t care
I love the smell of it
Sticks and stones
May break my bones
But chains and whips
Excite me

Na na na na
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it

Love is great, love is fine
Out the box, out of line
The affliction of the feeling
Leaves me wanting more

Cause I may be bad
But I’m perfectly good at it
Sex in the air
I don’t care
I love the smell of it
Sticks and stones
May break my bones
But chains and whips
Excite me

Na na na na
Come on

Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it Like it

S...S...S
And
M...M...M
S...S...S
And
M...M...M

Oh
I love the feeling
You bring to me
Oh, you turn me on
It’s exactly what
I’ve been yearning for
Give it to me strong

And meet me in my boudoir
With my body suit on, on, on

I like it
Like it

Cause I may be bad
But I’m perfectly good at it
Sex in the air
I don’t care
I love the smell of it
Sticks and stones
May break my bones
But chains and whips
Excite me

Na na na na
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it
Come on, Come on, Come on
I like it, Like it

S...S...S
And
M...M...M
S...S...S
And
M...M...M
S...S...S
And
M...M...M

Erign Go Brae

Last night we went to a local bar for our weekly trivia night. In the general knowledge round there were a lot of questions surrounding St. Patrick's Day. Darin asked me what the holiday meant and I completely blanked out! *Slap on the wrist!* So I figured I would do a little research and post some St. Patrick's Day information for all my blogger friends that have the same curiosities!

Erign Go Brae - is the anglicisation of a Gaelic phrase, and is used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is most often translated as "Ireland Forever" and pronounced /ˌɛrɪn ɡə ˈbrɑː/.

Saint Patrick's Day -  is a Christian holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutherans. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early 17th century, and has gradually become a celebration of Irish culture in general.
The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attire (especially shamrocks), and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on fasting and drinking, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.
Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Wearing of the green - Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention.The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

US Customs - In every year since 1991, March has been proclaimed Irish-American Heritage Month by the US Congress or President due to the date of St. Patrick's Day. Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. It is one of the leading days for consumption of alcohol in the United States, and is typically one of the busiest days of the year for bars and restaurants. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched affectionately. Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1962 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and had the idea to turn the river green for Saint Patrick's Day. Originally 100 pounds of vegetable dye was used to turn the river green for a whole week but now only forty pounds of dye is used and the color only lasts for several hours. Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. Missouri University of Science and Technology - St Pat's Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade. In Jamestown, New York, the Chadakoin River (a small tributary that connects Conewango Creek with its source at Chautauqua Lake) is dyed green each year.
Wikipedia.com

So there you have it. Some background information on the famous Irish holiday. One year I am going to be in Dublin drinking some Guinness on this day, but until then here is my favorite Irish Blessing!

 

Packing, Packing and more packing!

Ok, so since our condo fiasco, Darin and I have found a new apartment on the other side of town that will help us to save money on a monthly basis as well as have us be in a new area and hopefully happier with our neighbors. We will be closer to our friends and more on the outskirts of town so the traffic should be less in our area. We take possession of the apartment on the 21st of this month, which is a week and a half from today! AHHHHH! So Darin and I are busy bee's packing away and figuring out our move. So If I don't post in a couple of days please don't fault me. I should post some pictures of painted walls! Until then! Happy Blogging!

Marry You - Bruno Mars

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. After performing in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood, he decided to pursue a musical career and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school. Mars began producing songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.

After an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, Mars signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Kesha, "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, and "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.[2] He was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".

Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many different musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from different genres; Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Side Business?

Because I was so stressed out over the house buying I decided to do a little stress relief and do what I do best. Create. My good friend Hope is getting married in October so I thought I would put my Photoshop skills to good use and come up with some invitation designs. After trying for a couple of hours, I finally got the hang of the set up and was able to come up with a couple of designs for her and her Fiance to review. I also made up one for my sister-in-laws bridal shower that is coming up. Darin took one look at them and said "You have a side business!" Well I don't know if I would go that far, but I did have fun with them and would like the opportunity to try and make some from start to finish. Maybe I will do some mock-ups with ribbon and such. Hey, its worth a shot right? Let me know what you think. (Pertinent information has been removed from all three mock ups for privacy reasons)

Stop the Leak

With all that's going on with the house, it's not the only stress in my life. When it rains it pours right? On Monday the 7th I received a phone call from my step mom in Florida. Considering that the phone call came in at 10:00pm their time I knew something was up. My dad has been dealing with aggressive brain cancer, see here and here.

He has been taking experimental drugs to be able to prevent the tumor regrowth, but after his last surgery he had to discontinue and taking steroids to fight infection. They have been weaning him off the steroids to be able to start a new chemotherapy study drug (E7080) which he began on March 3rd. On Thursday and over the course of the weekend he was experiencing moderate to severe headaches. Daryl (my stepmom) was concerned when he started leaking fluid out of the surgical site on Sunday night. She called the oncologist and the recommended that he be admitted into the ER. He was being treated for three issues. 2 different antibiotics in case of infection, again on steroids (8mg daily) and a drug called Diamox to reduce the production of fluid. The doctor wanted him to stay in the hospital for a few days so he could review his MRI's. The question was whether the new experimental drug caused the issue or if the timing was coincidental. They looked at the MRI from 2/18 and from 3/3 and both showed a considerable amount of swelling and fluid in the brain. They also showed the "shift" of the brain.  Let me explain. Imagine the brain with a straight line dividing the left and right sides.  Now imagine that line bulging in the middle to the left.  The entire left side is swollen and the right side is being pressed against.  Also, you can see fluid pooling in the lower left region.  This corresponds to the spot where it leaked out of his head. From these images it appears as though the timing was coincidental. This was all the information from Tuesday and he was expected to be released on Wednesday at some time.

Overnight my dad's head began to leak again causing plans to change. The doctor came by and said he needed to re suture the surgical site.  This requires opening up the site again, checking for infection and then closing the wound.  If any puss is found he will have to remove the skull bone and then close the site.  The wound will heal without bone and he will have a soft spot there.  He is hopeful that he can contain things.  If after this he still leaks serum then he would have to put a shunt in with drainage from the head to the stomach where the stomach would absorb the fluid. He was put on more antibiotics and surgery was scheduled for Thursday morning at 9:30am EST. I awoke on Thursday morning to a text stating that the surgery was canceled because the leaking had stopped. The doctor came by around 8:15 and took a look at the wound.  He was immediately pleased to see a dry area and decided to shave his head to get a better look.  He found a clean, sealed wound, with no leakage. He then consulted with an infectious disease doctor who came to see my dad.  He was very thorough and explained that he had spoken to Dr. Kumar 2 or 3 times including this morning.  The doctor examined my dad and said he needs to continue in IV antibiotics for between 2 and 6 weeks. All indications seem to point to cellulitis at this point but he can't rule out infection in the bone.  Having to take medication via and IV for this length of time will require that my dad gets a "pick line".  This is a permanent port from which they can draw blood or give medication without poking a vein each time.  The hospital inserted the pick line on Thursday and kept him on antibiotics overnight and hopefully head home on Friday.

The doctor explained in order to deliver the antibiotics, they have three options.  They can either travel to his office daily to receive the IV antibiotic, a home health nurse can come to the house, or Daryl can administer the IV antibiotics and see the doc each week.  They are opting for the option three, because Daryl has experience inserting IV's on her horses. The good news is he can go home but the negative is that he will not be able to have any chemotherapy until the infection is gone.

So I am praying that the infection clears up quickly. It's hard for me, because I live 3000 miles away and I feel helpless sometimes. But I know they have many friends and family that are there for them. I just wish I could be one of them too. I guess I have to be supportive via phone and email. That's the current conditions over in Dade City Florida. Please keep him in your prayers! Thanks to all my family and friends that are my support group. I love you all!

Bad News Bears

Ok, I know it's been a while since I updated on the condo. When I last updated you, Pulling my Hair Out, we had our inspection and was in the process of getting our loan documents squared away. Let me give you a little back story. On February 5th we put an offer in on the condo. On the 6th we received an email stating that multiple offers had been submitted and to submit our "Highest and Best" offer. So we re-evaluated our offer, increased it and re-submitted. Then we waited. On February 14th we received a counter offer from the bank asking us to use their financing, which we declined. (we thought we lost it) On February 17th our offer was accepted! Yay. Our Realtor came over that night and we signed all the documentation for a offer acceptance submission on the 18th of February. We scheduled our inspection for the 19th. Ok now we are caught up.

Per our contract the Escrow company was supposed to order the HOA and CC&Rs within 3 days of acceptance. Now I know that means they should have been ordered on the 20th, but we live in lala land so if we don't include weekends that makes it February 22nd. We went on our merry way with the inspection thinking everything was fine and dandy. There were some issues in the inspection that we wanted the bank to correct before hand, the smoke detectors did not work and by California State Law you MAY NOT sell a property without this being corrected, so we were fighting over that. I know not a big deal, but we wanted to make sure we were doing things the legal way. We were in process of getting everything sorted out that was needed for the loan so we were distracted, but always in the back of our head thinking "Hm, I wonder when we are getting our docs?" On February 25th we asked our Realtor when she thought that we would be receiving those documents, because in our contract we had a 17 day contingency where if their was anything that was unsettling to us we could pull out with no penalties. I was consumed with wedding and baby shower tasks, see here and here, so I didn't really pay attention to the days as they clicked by. However on March 3rd I emailed our Realtor to find out what was going on. She informed me that escrow did not order the documentation until March 2nd! RED FLAG ALERT! That is 13 days past acceptance of offer! I was LIVID! Who the hell do these people think they are! She tells me that it usually takes 5-10 business days to receive said documents and she will let us know when they are in.

So now we are impatiently waiting because our contingency period is fast approaching a close! Our Realtor emails us on Wednesday the 9th and says that they received the docs and we should get them on the 10th. Now lets see about this math....our 17 day contingency began on Feb 17th so it was up on Monday March 7th. There is a clause that we have time to review these documents regardless of when we received them to review. (we have no control over when the escrow company orders them) So Darin and I open them and right on top is a paper-clipped set of documents from the Association. A bill from John Murray plumbing for services rendered on a leak, another bill for HOA dues and a disclosure document regarding the leak. We were informed of a leak, but never to what extent of the damage. I wont go into depth, but apparently in October of 2010, a leak from the hydronic heating system had gotten so bad that it came down the walls, flooded the floor, soaked through the subfloor, and continued down through the ceiling and walls of the condo below. I states that the unit below contacted the listing agent (the bank owned the property at this time) to have them come out and see what the problem was. (Are you following me, the listing agent knew this in Oct and we didn't get a full disclosure until now) It goes on about whether or not it was a roof leak and so on, but at the bottom of the description date March 8, 2011 stated:

To date, the Association has not been notified that the water intrusion and damage caused to Unit 83 or the common areas between Units 83 and 84 by the leak in Unit 84 has been fully mitigated, nor if the cause of the water leak in Unit 84 was determined, repaired and poses no further risk.

The Association charged-back the cost of the emergency inspection by John Murray Plumbing to the Unit 84 Homeowner account (copy of Invoice attached); at this time, the Association has not levied a violation fine for this violation, but reserves the right to do so.

So, they are basically saying "Your guess is as good as mine whether or not it's fixed. Good luck!" We also don't know if the subfloor was inspected, how damaged it was and if there was mold testing and what risk is posed by this issue. Also states that we has the new homeowners will be responsible for the violation fines if they choose to. RED FLAG ALERT! Then it continues on to state:

Per the CC&Rs any costs to repair damage caused by a homeowner to the common areas, exclusive use common areas or to another Unit, whether deliberate, unintentional or through negligence, is the sole financial responsibility of the Homeowner who caused the damage and is not cured by title transfer.

At any time, the Association may exercise its right to effect and repairs necessary to the common areas damaged by the Unit 84 homeowner and will charge any and all costs incurred, in addition to violation fines to the Unit 84 Homeowner account. If repairs to the common areas are made by the Unit 84 Homeowner or their Agent, the Association will exercise its right to inspect and approve any and all repairs prior to their completion and may levy violation fines until they are deemed compliant.

The Association has the right to inspect and approve any and all changes and/or repairs made to the common areas to ensure compliance with the CC&Rs. Any homeowner who changes and/or damages and/or effects repairs to exclusive use common area or the common areas must obtain Association inspection and approval to ensure compliance and bears the sole financial responsibility for any changes and/or repairs required, in addition to any violation fines levied. At its discretion, the Association may effect any repairs necessary and charge any and all costs incurred to the responsible Homeowner account; and change and/or repair to exclusive use common area or the common areas that is not approved by the Association is a violation, subject to violation fines and repair costs.

Ok, what this long winded legal jargon is saying; we would be financially responsible for any and all damage that was caused to the adjoining unit and any and all violation fines per the CC&Rs. We are also legally responsible if the adjoining unit wanted to take us to court for the damage. RED FLAG ALERT! We continued to delve further into the financial statements for the property and those were not good either. Monthly expenses in the red every month, things needing to be fixed that they can't due to lack of funds. They increased HOA dues in February of last year and again in January of this year to a total of 25% increase over 1 year. Tenants not paying their HOA fees. RED FLAG ALERT! We only scratched the surface of what they gave us, but what we found was completely unsettling. Like they say, you are an undesirable candidate for us! We contacted our Realtor and she is drawing up paperwork for us to withdraw from escrow. We are very disheartened, but we did not want our first home to have that many red flags. With it being a foreclosure, the property is sold as is and we would have to take all this bad. As much as we would like to own a home, this is not something that we signed up for. Our decision was made as a couple, with much advise from wise people. Our home will come eventually. 

I am a Godmother! Not the one that turns pumpkins into carriages!

Whew. What a whirlwind month February and the beginning of March have been. Wedding planning, birthdays, trips and baby showers. Last weekend I went to a bridal show to look into florists for my dear friend Hope's upcoming nuptials in October and went to our friend Shannon's baby shower where I took many photographs as seen here. I had posted before about the baby shower that my mom, aunts and cousin's had been planning for my newest cousin Amy and her new baby girl. In December she was put on bedrest and had little Miss Charlotte premature, so we had to wait to put on the shower but if you wanna read about planning and projects please see Babies, Babies, Babies or Invites, games, and music! Oh My!. My mom and I made some crafts, and my cousin's hubby (who works in the special effects department on CSI Miami) made a wooden closet/toy chest at work to put all of our gifts in. Well all of our hardwork and planning came to fruition this weekend as the shower was held at my Aunt's home in Hermosa Beach. It was a beautiful day with 80 degree weather and not a cloud in the sky. My mom and I woke up extra early to get everything ready, which wasn't very much since she and my cousin had done most of it already. We got ourselves ready and headed out the door. Once we got to the shower we set up, threw the food in the over and awaited the arrival of the guests. We ate lasagna and cheesecake, played some non traditional baby games, and giggled while we watched as the father (my cousin Anthony) opened all the pink gifts and tried things on. Before we knew it it was five o'clock. We packed up our stuff and went to say our goodbyes. As I went to hug my cousin he whispered in my ear that he wanted Darin and I to be his daughters godparents! I was completely taken aback and didn't expect that. I started to tear up and told him of course we would!

On Sunday, even though I was still exhausted from the shower and Darin was tired from partying it up with his coworkers the evening before (neither one of us are spring chickens anymore) we packed up the pup and headed over to my grandma's house to visit our goddaughter. (and the rest of the family too) I was surprised as to how well our pup took to the baby, even though she is seven weeks old, she is only 8 pounds and still teeny. Whenever the baby got fussy, Shelby got very upset and wanted to know what was wrong with her. She would sniff her head and hung out near her the whole time, it was very cute. I always knew that Darin was good with babies, but little Charlotte just loved him and he her. She is so precious, but I could just be biased. We ended up going shopping and getting little Charlee and glow worm and some clothes that said "Mommy" on them for my cousin Amy, you see she was feeling left out because all the clothes said daddy or grandma on them. We went back to the house and had some dinner and chatted some more. We asked when the christening was going to be, and they said sometime in June. I cannot wait to see this little precious child grow up! It's just too bad that they live 4 hours away. We will just have to make trips up and down to see each other.

Diaper Cake

Baby Charlee on Aunt Bev's Lap

Our Gift to Charlotte

Thank you gifts

Mom holding Charlotte

80 Degree weather, a perfect beach day.

Yummy Cheesecake!

Opening the gifts

Amy

Anthony opening one of the many pink gifts

She wanted to talk and touch the camera.

Cousin Caitlyn and Charlee

More conversing....such an intellectual!

The Closet was overflowing! Typical girl! Hehe

Some Days

There are some days when words cannot express my emotions. Some day's when I feel under attack from every angle and cannot seem to change the mind of those individuals that are taking me down one statement or action at a time. I beg and plead to be left alone, I need my solace to be able to combat the demons in my head. I know that's selfish, but it is how I deal. My defense mechanism is to shut down. If I don't create emotions then I can't be hurt by them or hurt others with them. I become like a zombie, but how fair is that to the people around me. People who care, but in my time of utter selfishness cannot see past my own misery. As they say, misery loves company, but I don't like to bring people in. I like to stay, alone, in my own head. Then I become angry, and take things out on those who are closest to me. Why? I don't know. Little nitpicking turns into enormous drawn out blow ups, for what? Nothing. I try and try to be different, better. Sometimes I see the change, and others I see the past. Rearing it's ugly head right in front of me. I guess it's something I need to work on.

I'm Sorry

Freedom 90 - George Michael

Ok so I officially feel old now that I realized this song was released in 1990, but here is one of my favorite songs of all time! And a video where the star doesn't even appear! Enjoy!




Freedom 90'

I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up
Because I would really, really love to stick around

Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn't know what I wanted to be
I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me
To win the race? A prettier face!
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll TV
But today the way I play the game is not the same
No way
Think I'm gonna get me some happy

I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Heaven knows we sure had some fun boy
What a kick just a buddy and me
We had every big shot good-time band on the run boy
We were living in a fantasy
We won the race
Got out of the place
I went back home got a brand new face
For the boys on MTV
But today the way I play the game has got to change
Oh yeah
Now I'm gonna get myself happy

I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I stopped the show
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don't think that I'll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Well it looks like the road to heaven
But it feels like the road to hell
When I knew which side my bread was buttered
I took the knife as well
Posing for another picture
Everybody's got to sell
But when you shake your ass
They notice fast
And some mistakes were built to last

That's what you get

I say that's what you get

That's what you get for changing your mind

And after all this time
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes
Do not make the man

I'll hold on to my freedom
May not be what you want from me
Just the way it's got to be
Lose the face now
I've got to live

Baby Anthony

Last weekend was a whirlwind. Not only were we busy signing the many documents it takes to buy a house, but I also had free tickets to a bridal show and a baby shower to attend. On Thursday before the shower, my dear friend Shannon's mother LeeAnn emailed me on Facebook. She asked me if I would be able to take photographs at the shower so she would have to worry about it. Because we have the equipment and I like to take photos I of course said yes. The three of us met for lunch on Friday, and enjoyed some pre-baby shower down time. The rest of my Friday was spent doing laundry and relaxing, as was my Saturday. I knew that Sunday was going to be a whirlwind.


I awoke on Sunday at the way too early hour of 6:30. I mean c'mon body, what is up with this early start thing? I cannot seem to sleep in anymore. Anyways, I got up, puttered around the house and then got ready. Like I said, I had received free tickes to a local bridal show and I invited my friend Hope and Amanda to join. Hope is getting married in October and she still needed floral inspiration and a florist to boot. So we wandered around, got to talk to some great vendors and got some great ideas! We had some mimosa's and I even ran into my wedding coordinator from my wedding. Santa Clarita is such a small big city! At 12:30 I bid my farewell to the ladies, even though I would see them at the shower, and headed over to Casa Anthony. A team of Cummings (mom's family) and Anthony's (dad's family) were running around getting everything ready. Games, food and drinks galore! There was lots of laughter catching up with my old friends and introducing my new friends to them. Trevor and Amanda we doing a good job of keeping Hope and I very entertained, and then our wonderful friend Nicole came late from work and got in on the action too. Little Baby Anthony made out like a bandit and will be a very loved child! Please enjoy the pictures that I took for the shower. Weddings and babies are the theme of my year! 2011 is turning into a wonderful year!