unexpected call, where's the snow?, walk thru

Saturday and Sunday we didnt do too much around the apartment. Mostly just watched tv and worked on the computer. Well, he spent the time on the computer while I worked on some needlework. Yeah, I know I still have to take a picture and show ya'll how far I've gotten with it.

Monday I got a rather unexpected call on my cell phone (which looks just like the one to the left only it's an awesome shade of purple). It must have come in while I was sleeping because in the afternoon I heard it chirping at me that I'd missed a call. Mind you, this phone still has a Dallas number attached to it because we wanted to get into the new place before changing it. Guess what the message was? The message was from Lane Bryant's in regards to an application I had filled out online for a job. heh heh heh. *shakes head*. The message said if I was still interested they'd love to interview me as they had full and part time positions available in their store. Well I called them back and let them know that although I'd LOVE to interview and take a job with them that it would be impossible now as I was in Virginia. *shakes head again* Maybe it's time to change that phone number....

Not much else is going on. They keep promising us snow but all we get is cold while everyone else around me gets that beautiful fluffy white stuff. *sigh* So Chicago, when should I expect that shipment of it? I know you've got plenty to spare. I'd ask Alice to send hers as well but I know Tori's wanting some across the pond so I wont be greedy.

My goodness did we all catch American Idol this week? What a freaking waste of time that was. If it had been a movie , I would have demanded my money back for sure. Usually by now I have the field narrowed down to a couple worth watching, but not this year. There are a few that bear watching but none that really stand out. My original prediction (before the season started) was we'd have an AAM as a winner but there are a few girls out singing him easily so Im not too sure at this point. Another pattern emerged while I was looking at the past winners...and ya know we're due for a white female with an awesome voice again. A winner, like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Around 430pm today we're due to go for our walk through on the townhome. I plan on getting the non-essentials packed up this evening when hubby goes to work and the rest on Saturday. I figure I'll just leave a couple days worth of clothes and the meds here and take them over when we go on Monday morning. I guess I'd better get myself to bed a little earlier this morning so Im better rested for the walk through.

Sun-Weds

Well I spent the day on Sunday just lazing about. I dont think either of us really wanted to do much of anything after getting that one call telling us we were denied. Worse yet was the call he made to the first complex and getting the *IF* we accept your application speech. *bah* We were told that they'd review the application again and we should call on Tuesday to see *IF* we were accepted. *sigh* Sunday evening we pulled up the website on this business card one of his new friends had given him and purused the rental units on the lady's site. We found several we wanted to look at...one of which had no picture.

Monday...I cant remember much of what we did. These days just slide right by lately. I do know we took the addy of the rental with no picture and drove by the area to check it out. It seemed nice enough and was located right behind a strip mall. Awesome. Afterwards, I remember going to ACMoores craft store to pick up more supplies. I had decided that I am really enjoying the one pattern I've been working on that I want to do a second one and frame them both as gifts. We went to Barnes and Noble too to pick up a newspaper and both of us ended up picking up a couple magazines each. I chose a couple counted cross stitch magazines that had patterns in them and one came with a free kit. I cant wait to do one of these newer patterns. We went to lunch and then did the grocery shopping for the week. Im fairly sure there were a couple other errands we ran but I cant for the life of me remember what they were. Hubby called the realtor with rentals were listed with and arranged for a viewing of 7 of them.

Tuesday we got a call from the realtor and she said we could see 5 of them. Of the other 2, one was listed through another agent and she had to get ahold of them to see about showing it and he hadnt called back yet and the other needed at least 24 hours notice because there was a large dog on the property. Ok, so 5 out of 7...still a good day. The first place we looked at was a 2 bedroom condominium (or a glorified apartment as I'd call it). New carpeting, ground floor...more like a basement as there was a half flight of stairs down to get to it. It was a very nice unit. The closets needed some help though as the doors stuck on a couple of them but all in all not bad. The second place we went to was a nice 3 bedroom townhome. It was the one we drove by the day before. It was built in the 70's and needed a little help but not bad overall. It even had a full sized washer and drier that comes with it (and a dish washer too WOOOOT!!!). The next unit was nice. I wasnt fond of the carpeting... it was nice and dark BUT was this cheap stuff you find in schools and restaurants....something a stick vac could handle. This came with a washer/drier too but it was in the same closet with the water heater and turned in such a way that I'd need to wedge myself between the 2 units to do the laundry. Yeah, I see THAT happening. The next unit was bloody horrible and in an unsavory neighborhood. The last was in a slightly better area of the same neighborhood as the one before it. It was nicer but you could tell both had had bug problems like you wouldnt believe. Ew. The last one had a nice yard with no grass as it had been covered over with "astroturf". The fencing was in horrid shape on the one side of the yard though and the opposite neighbor had the meanest sounding dog in their yard. From what I could glimpse between the slats of the fence, it looked like it could be a pit. Ummm no. Not EVEN in a good neighborhood for $100 less on the monthly rent. We decided that we liked the first townhome the best out of all of them. Oh yeah, it needs a tiny bit of love but it looks good considering how old the building is (it was built in 1973). We let the realtor know of our decision and she said she'd talk to the company that's leasing the unit out.

Hubby and I went to lunch and made another stop then came back to the corp housing. When we got back I fired up the laptop and saw an email from the realtor. She said that the company had had another app come in for that unit but it "didnt look good" and advised that we fill out the attached pdf app and fax it to her right away. She also suggested that we write a note explaining any dings on our credit report that could possibly be found and detail out the problem we had with the A.R.M. It took us an hour or so to get the letter hashed out and then hubby took and loaded the app and the letter on a thumb drive and we went to the UPS Store to get them printed up. After we went to supper at a restaurant called Glory Days. Mmmmm yummy. Well worth the money and I cant wait to explore their whole menu. While at supper we took the time to fill out the application....may as well as the UPS Store was only a couple doors down and there was no sense taking the paperwork back to the place we're staying at to fill in and then have to make another run to the UPS Store to fax the information. We finished supper and then put the finishing touches on the app. The guy at the UPS Store had to laugh as this was our third trip in there over the course of the day. We faxed the realtor the 3 page app, the letter and a few other documents that would help our case.

We got back to the corp housing around 750pm or so. Just in time to get comfy and get ready for my show. Is it me or is everyone else completely underwhelmed with this season too? Im so underwhelmed that I completely forgot it was on Tuesday night until hubby mentioned it. In fact, I still have my notes for my MySpace entry (for both nights this week) that I havent even bothered to type up yet.

Yesterday, hubby was scheduled for work so we didnt plan on doing anything. We got a call...it was the realtor. I braced myself for the "no, Im sorry...let's see what else we can do about this" that I was absolutely positive was going to come across the telephone lines. It was a good thing I was sitting because she said that we'd been accepted. WOOOOOOOOOOT!! It's going to cost us about $2500 up front, which isnt bad as it's first and last month's rent and the pet deposit and first month rent on them too. We'll be going to the bank later to the bank to get a certified money order and then heading to the landlord's office to sign the paperwork. Move in day will be either the 1st or 2nd of March depending on hubby's schedule (he's working every other Saturday so if he's off the we move on the 1st, if not then on Sunday the 2nd).

I guess Im gonna scoot. My knees are still hurting some and my feet feel a little bloated tonight. I really should have been in bed several hours ago but I kept dropping off while typing this. Shoulda hit the sheets when I left chat...that's for sure.

Ah well.

We're back to...

Denied. Got the call this morning. We may end up in that one where they want 6 months rent up front. *sigh* Guess I know what I'll be doing today.

Update @ 128pm: Called that one place back and got an *IF* accepted that it'll be 6 months up front for a 6 month lease....all 12 for a year lease. Had been told originally that because of where he worked they'd take the 6 months for the year but today he talked with the site manager and she'd said no...all 12 months up front for the year. They're pulling our file again and double checking for a decision. We have to call back on Tuesday. .oO(damn I need a fkn drink...) Im at my wit's end at this point. We have a little over 30 days left here and STILL no place to live due to the damn credit reports.... *criez*

Apartments, finding new eating places and the nightshift

Translation for Tori: The above pic is the comic, Cathy, and it details a day in her life starting at 7am staring at the little screen (aka her monitor) and what she's looking at and ending with her in the same spot roughly around 10pm staring at the little screen. In the last frame she's thinking "My universe got so big, but my world got so puny." Hmmm maybe that would make a good one for my next banner.... LOL

Wow, has it been nearly a week since my last post? It's hard to believe. To be honest I dont even think I could begin to tell you how the time has passed either. It's hard being limited to just the laptop and having to share the time as I tend to lose track of what happened when. I can tell you that I've caught every episode of American Idol so far and have been blogging it over in MySpace. Im not sure about anyone else, but I've been truly underwhelmed. Of the nights we've seen, there have been ~maybe~ 2 good nights out of the bunch and even then the auditioners havent been the best. There's simply not enough there to make me go wow. Personal opinion, I dont believe we've seen the winner audition yet and Im still saying it is the year of the African-American male to win.

Saturday we went to see that one apartment that I mentioned in my previous entry. The two bedroom was nice but a trifle claustrophobic for me. The larger of the 2 bedrooms would have been only large enough for the bed, 2 endtables and the dresser with barely enough room to get in and out of the bed comfortably. The smaller of them was just a little over half that size. Let's not go into how large the bathroom makes me feel. The shower area isnt even the size of what we came out of in Texas. I'd be lucky to fit a leg in the tub so I can tell you there'll never be a bath in that tub unless the dog is the one having it. Yeah, I see it now, showers are going to be a joy and a half.

Sunday was a lazy day and we didnt even leave the apartment. No sense in it because not many of the apartment complexes are open on a Sunday.

Between Monday and Tuesday we did the grocery shopping, checked out another complex (this one had AWESOME prices but a 5 MONTH waiting list to get in!!!) and went back to check out a three bedroom in the previous complex. The three bedroom was much nicer but the bathroom was still one that isnt going to be pleasant using due to the size. I feel like I have to bend in half to use the sink and I swear the tub isnt much bigger than one of my shoes (and about as deep as well). The unit we saw was located at the front of the complex putting all those strip malls well within a decent, but entirely do-able, waddle distance which means I can get some exercise getting to and from work depending on the hours I end up pulling. We've put in an application at this complex and with any luck we'll get in. They ran our credit reports though and with the dings we each had...well we're keeping our fingers crossed. There were a couple that were on hubby's that concerned them and one on mine (one from back in 2000 no less!). One of his was easily handled as it had been paid off 4 years ago (yeah this is a good ad for checking your credit file yearly y'all) and the other is in the process of being dealt with. Mine, too, is being dealt with now and was something stemming back from my frist marriage. Actually ALL the dings on my report stem back from then. Since I've been in Texas, I've kept a low profile and paid everything in cash. Anyhow, this one was a personal loan and had nothing to do with a rent situation so with any luck they'll forgive that one. The decision is pretty much in the complex's hands right now. Im hoping they come to a decision in the next day or so. The good news here is that the January special they had running is being carried over to February so the 3 bedroom (924 sq ft) wont cost us much more than $50 more than the 2 bedroom (748 sq ft) overall. About $50 more for 176 sq ft additional space? I can handle that. Like I pointed out to hubby, if we go with the smaller apartment...we WILL have to spring for a storage unit for the extra stuff that doesnt fit (therfore making it more costly still). With the bigger apartment, it's highly likely we WONT have to do that.

Sometime over the last couple days we checked out a couple restaurants in the area. One was a mom and pop type establishment called Tom's Diner. The food's good and service is ok. The other was Clearwater Grill & Bar. O M G the food was awesome there. The waitress looked like she'd half expected that reaction as they have a 5 star chef in their kitchen. I had the San Francisco fettucini (chicken and shrimp over fettucini with green onions and mushrooms all drizzled with an alfredo sauce...*dah-ROOOOL*). I think I found my new favorite place to eat :D.

Oh and hubby's on the nightshift starting this week. He'll be there for the next 4 months which means I'll barely be able to see him. *sigh* I've pretty much decided to stay on a dayshift sleep schedule because once we get moved I have to be awake to get myself to interviews and such. It makes things difficult though because I cant do a blasted thing first thing in the morning as he's sleeping and then by the time he leaves, my mind is starting to shut down for the night. I've got dishes to put away, clothes to fold and supper to get cooked for tomorrow and Im simply too tired to even bother at this point. Well, I'd better scoot and attempt to get at least the laundry folded and the supper cooked. The dishes I can deal with tomorrow while he's sleeping.

Comcast and other schtuff

I was going to post yesterday but we had some technical difficulties. I had just managed to get my "edjumacational" fix, read my emails, and started to read all the blogs that I normally visit when I had to step away from the laptop for a minute. When I got back, I noticed the tv was off...hmmm I dont remember turning it off. *click* Then the tv actually DID turn off. Hmmm. Ah well I got my puter right? Nope. Although it was saying it was connected I was being told that the page couldnt be displayed....not a one. Well damn. Ok this happened a couple days ago, I'll just turn it off for a bit and go back later. I really dont need to be living at the keyboard anyhow right? Then my cell phone rings. *raises an eyebrow* It's my darling hubby...did the apartment phone ring by chance? No why? Because it went straight to voice mail. Hmmm. I pick up the phone..no dial tone, just dead air. Well I let hubby know this happened at least one other time this week that I was aware of and it was off for about 20 minutes, no longer. I get the ok but if it's not back on by one pm call em...at least I can watch some dvds if I get bored. A little after 1pm I called Comcast and found out that it was a problem that everyone in my area was having. I let the gal know that that wasnt good and if it wasnt for my cellphone..if I had an accident I'd have no way of getting help. I also asked if this was something I had to look forward to up this way and she laughed at me and said no. Funny though, the cable on the tv kept cutting out today much like a stream buffering. Im guessing it was well after 3pm when it was fixed because that was about when I took Katy out for a walk and the phone wasnt working then.

Got my final check from Wally World the other day. It's not a bad amount. I think Im going to take it over to the bank in the WalMart and start an account in my name there. Maybe I'll do it like my first ever account and just make it a savings account so it's making money while being in there. It's not as though I really need access to the money regularly anyhow. Plus with this bank being in most of the WalMarts, it'll be really convienient for me to get to especially if I choose to work for WalMart again.

We'll be going out tomorrow to check out a couple apartment complexes. Both seem to be fairly reasonably priced and are located near many retail businesses, many within an easy walk to get to...even in the chilly weather...unless my knees and hips act up that is. It looks like they are really close to an actual form of public transport (as opposed to where I was where public transport in the area was limited to cabs). I think Im going to shoot for part-time with the possibility of going full-time later if it turns out to be a good fit. Maybe I'll get lucky and one of the stores will need someone on the overnight shift? I know Kohl's is looking for overnight ad setters but Im not sure of how close it is to these new apartments to be honest. That would be ideal...no customers, nothing but work to do.

Hubby's schedule starting next month is an overnight shift. It's 1 month nights, 2 months days. He was telling me how they deal with their shift differentials...I guess the amount depends on the day of the week and not a flat rate. To me it sounds more like by the time things are said and done there is no damn difference but maybe I just didnt understand it. I did understand the holiday pay though...or at least somewhat. From what I understand, he can either take it as holiday pay OR as X amount of vacation hours so basically if we have a trip coming up and need the hours more than the pay now thenhe can opt for the vacation hours. It's just a matter of getting the money now on this check OR later. He is back to working the back end of the week though. Weds-Fri and every other Sat I think. Ah well.

I worked on my needlework a bit yesterday and got quite a bit done while watching movies (Finding Nemo and Brother Bear...both for the second time this week). The piece is nearly 25% done. I know it's only that far along as I havent had to turn the pattern yet or fold it in the other direction. With any luck I'll have what I need done completed by the time hubby comes home. He's always kidding me that it takes me forever to get a piece done. Why? Because the first piece he saw me work was during my first year with him. I'd bought it while we were at his folks' house that first Christmas and by the time we got home, I set it down and didnt pick it up until we went out to visit again. That piece had quite a bit of picture to it and very little lettering with no borders whatsoever. It's not my fault though as this craft only holds my attention for so long as the pictures I like are rather detailed. I like to see alot getting done and tend to get discouraged in the early stages. This piece is more like a sampler...a nice saying with mostly borders as details. I like the bordering because once you get a pattern started you dont have to keep your eye on the pattern nearly as closely as with pieces that are mostly picture. I think I'll work on it some today. Im on a piece of border where I really dont need the pattern at all because what's on the cloth already makes it clear where the next stitches go. The hard part will be to remember to make sure the thread doesnt twist or knot up on me.

I think I also want to go christen the bathtub with an actual bath instead of the usual shower. Today would be a good day for a nice warm soak. Maybe it'll loosen my hips and knees up some. The last several years I've stuck to mostly showers because with the way Im built there arent too many tubs that are deep enough nor wide enough for me to soak in properly. Although I stand 5'4.5", from the hips down I have the legs of someone 5'1"-5'2" (petites are a touch too short and averages are a touch too long) and from the hips up I have the length of an average to tall person (it's funny seeing hubby and I sit side by side as I sit taller....his 5'11" is nearly all legs!)...which means many tubs arent deep enough for my liking. Top things all off Im heavy which means it's hard to find a place with a tub wide enough to sit comfortably. The night after honeymoon night we stayed in a Holiday Inn that was supposed to have a jacuzzi type tub in the bathroom. Well I go to our room fully intending on a nice soak for my knees and damned if it wasnt wide enough (anyone got Crisco and a crowbar so I can get in?) nor deep enough (the back of my thighs got a good massage with the way I was wedged in) for me to enjoy my soak. *sigh* Anyhow, I digress...this tub looks to have all the qualifications for a good soaking tub (and here I am without bath salts and my rubber ducky!! Ok, skip the damn ducky and give me some scented candles...) so I think Im going to try it out. Im almost afraid to get in it though because I'll be really ticked if we cant find a place with another like it...

other ramblings

O
M
G
It's been so damn cold here this last week!! Just to show you how cold it's been (in my opinion at least) I have resorted to the following:
01) Wearing long sleeved shirts daily. Inside as well as out and about (as opposed to the normal tee and muscle shirts I normally like to wear).
02) Socks and/or slippers are a must in the house (man I miss being barefoot already)
03) Wearing pajama bottoms (lounger pants) indoors underneath my night gowns

In essence, one could "pop over" at any time of the day and I'd be reasonably dressed. Yeah...you saw that right. The heavy woman that is a closet streaker has gotten so damn cold that she doesnt fuss about making sure she's clothed. I'll pause a moment while Karla and the rest of my close friends pick their jaws up off the floor, wipe their monitors clean of whatever fluid they were drinking/ spewing, and in general pick themselves up off of the floor.

*pause*
*pause*

Ok. All set? Good.

Monday was hubby's first day at work and he seems to like it so far. He actually will come home and talk about his day and let me know what went on as opposed to just clamming up and crawling into one of his online games. It kinda helps that we're just on the laptop right now and it wont play some of those types of games. Tuesday was a little rougher as he really didnt wanna get out of bed (he didnt want to this morning either) but I dont think it was because he didnt like the job, just the fact he was "so comfy next to his baby". Ok, so...Im huggably soft. Big deal.

I was awake early on Monday...around 7-730am or so. Not because I really wanted to be but because we'd gotten an email a few days prior saying that the maid service would be in bi-weekly and we should expect them on Monday the 21st. Hmm. It's not as though we really need a maid service to be honest. It's just the two of us and we dont make much of a mess with the exception of the kitchen. *shrugs* Oh well it's hubby's company paying for it. Of course they never said when to expect them in, just that it started on the 21st and would be bi-weekly. Ok...so I got up and, leaning on what my TxSis said about her experience with a maid service, I cleared most of the surfaces off so they could be wiped and stripped the bed so the sheets could be washed and things would be made up fresh. I got 4 loads of laundry done (I usually have only 3 including the sheets but with us each wearing more clothes to stay warm...), a load of dishes and everything semi-neatened. Then I got online for my usual writing and reading spree (I wrote 2 entries that day....did you read them both?). The day wore on and no one showed up. By the time hubby came home I was getting a little pissy about the situation. Hubby dropped a note to the people dealing with the corporate housing account to let them know.

Tuesday I was awake by 530am when the alarm went off and out of bed by the time hubby was out the door. Again I waited all day for these people. By noon hubby called to ask if they'd shown and I told him no. I was given permission to get into his email account to see if they wrote back regarding the issue. Yes they had and they'd said the maids would be put on the schedule that day (email was received 1123am). I took it to mean they'd be there later in the afternoon. I spent the afternoon on the computer but I wasnt doing the usual stuff. I'd had some bad news (as detailed in the previous entry) and was trying to get more info on it. While I was waiting on that info I was checking some other sites out and researching a couple of the apartment complexes in the area. There's a couple I think we'll be going to see once hubby can get a day off. The good thing is one of them has Sunday hours. Gotta love that. Both complexes are in the same area and nearby to plenty of retail businesses (a strip mall AND a larger mall down the road) so job hunting shouldnt be so bad. The one complex is known to take people that dont have really good credit too which is beneficial for us. I looked up their rating on the site I mentioned in that one entry and they rate ok (55% as opposed to the 30% and less we've seen in other places). I think it may be do-able so Im crossing my fingers.

I ended up having a ragin headache by the late afternoon. It felt like a familiar one but I simply couldnt put my finger on the cause of it. It wasnt located in my neck and shoulders so it wasnt stress and it didnt feel like my sinuses. It got so bad I ended up pulling out a spare blanket and curling up on the sofa for a while. When hubby called, I got up and tossed the meatloaf we were having for dinner in the oven then toddled into the shower. While in there I figured it out. As the warm water was pouring over my head I remembered the first winter in the trailor in Kirkville while married to the first guy....or bedroom was so small that there was bearly enough room for the double bed in the room. Top things all off it would only fit in the one way...with the head or the foot right under the window. The trailor had piss poor (if any) insulation and the storm windows didnt do much to seal off the drafts. We ended up with a cold draft on our heads as we slept at night. I remember having bad headaches the first week of cold weather...which didnt stop happening until I took to wearing a toboggan hat to bed. Once I got my head warmed up and a bellyful of food...the headache pretty much left. The balance of it disappeared with a good night's sleep.

Yesterday was the San Diego auditions for American Idol. Two nights in a row (Dallas was the last one) I have felt...well underwhelmed. Im not going to go into it here. Those of you that follow my rants on that topic know to travel into my MySpace page to view those. Yes, Im writing on them again this year...assuming I end up with a job that'll give me Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights off ;). Worse case I'll have hubby tape it and I'll need to watch later. Better yet maybe I'll play hookie for the next 5 months....LOL. I need to figure out a better way to write those up as they took for-friggin-ever to write last year and Im not so sure Im up for all that work this year. While I was watching my addiction, hubby dropped another note to the people in charge of the corporate housing and let them know the maids were a no show AGAIN and that the wife was getting pissed.

Today I got up with the alarm again and had to practically shove hubby outta bed. I love the fact he loves me but dammit dont be late the first week at this job!!! I got him shoved out the door and crawled back into bed. Dammit I ended up wide awake shortly before 9am. I dont do well in the am and here I havent been able to sleep to my normal hours. It might be because I crawled into bed before 11pm and was well asleep before midnight that's doing it. I've spent most of the day at the computer yet again. Maybe I need to find a job where Im typing all day or doing computer work (at home would be nicer still). Evidentally it's what makes me happy. I had basically resigned that the maids wouldnt be coming in this week (especially since we'd told the corporate to send them next Monday instead)and hadnt done much to pick up or clear things off when lo and behold a minivan pulls in and the maid service showed up. *shakes head* Good thing I've taken to wearing those lounger pants eh? I think iggy would like the ones I have on today.

Sunday the 13th and on

Sunday, we got up and went to breakfast with the folks. After we said our goodbyes, we went back to the motel to finish packing. As anticipated, the feline furbaby was very unhappy with me. I picked her up, cuddled her and then set her in front of the carrier door. She, of course, gave the stink eye and attempted to go around the crate. Upon second attempt she went in without a hassle. There was a bit of crying eminating from that carrier Sunday but I knew it was simply because she was being cooped up after a few days freedom.

The drive was rather uneventful...thank goodness. We took a look at several of those hotel coupon books for travellers and went into sticker shock at the hotel prices. Yes, the company is paying for it but it's originally coming out of our own pocket and being reimbursed later. We ended up staying in a Stafford , VA Ramada Sunday night. ~Sweet~ room. After getting the "kids" set up for the night, we went out for supper. He had a roast beef sandwich and I had stuffed shells...yummy.

Monday morning we got up a little later...around 9am or so and after breakfast (a continental one that was more than juice and donuts), we packed back up. Dharma went right into her carrier with little to no fuss. We left a bit before 11am and drove the last hour into Manassas. Im beginning to wish we'd paid an extra day in the hotel so we didnt have to leave so early. At least then, Dharma wouldnt have been cooped up quite so long because the corporate apartment wasnt available for us until 4pm. We did some driving around, killing time. First place we found was the local WalMart. This one is not a supercenter so we wont be doing our grocery shopping there. That sucks because I really like getting my groceries in those supercenters. We grabbed lunch at Denny's (or did we lunch then WallyWorld it?? I cant remember). We made several trips back to the apartment, hoping the apartment would be ready a bit sooner so we could let the girls loose but unfortunately it was right at 4pm before we could get in.

It took us 2days to get the truck unloaded as there was quite a bit in there AND we'd been placed on the 3rd floor (*ugh*). Stairs and I do not get along due to my bad knees. I can take them, it just cant be often. One trip down and and back up usually gets them to complaining loudly and with the one that grinds regularly, well it takes me a while to get where I have to go. Top things all off my right hip has started acting up since we've been here. Hubby ended up bringing most of the stuff upstairs while I was placed in charge of assigning homes to everything.

Monday and Tuesday were mostly spent getting to know the area, running to WalMart for stuff we packed that we actually needed (and a few more clothes more appropriate to the climate like long sleeved shirts, long johns and lounger pants for in the apartment), and placing phone calls. I got ahold of the WalMart that I had been working at and gave them our temporary address so I should be getting my final check in the next few days. Wednesday we didnt go anywhere because, as many of you saw on the home page, we had a nice snow storm (picture at left was posted on the front page of the paper Thursday morning...it's of the lion in the national zoo with his head raised to the falling snow). We ended up with much more snow than what was pictured. So much in fact that we still have some on the ground now. It doesnt help matters that it's so cold that it wont melt off. Im not gonna complain though, the only thing Im gonna gripe about is the booger freezing cold out there. Tuesday our car got delivered here. Stupid idiots were *supposed* to have it placed in storage. Thankfully no one has complained about the extra vehicle ....yet.

We went to take a look at one complex on Friday (?). It's about 20 minutes out, a reasonable driving distance considering the truck only gets 15 miles to the gallon. The lady in the leasing office didnt have a 2 bedroom available for us to look at so I suggested maybe we could see a one bedroom just to get an idea of what we'd be getting into. She had someone coming in already to see one such unit and invited us to come along. It was nice and the complex is near enough to a grocery store so I can walk there even in the cold weather no matter how far back in the complex we end up. The one we were wanting was going to run us $895/mo+utils. Hubby and I liked what we saw but the size would mean still getting a storage unit. On the upside, we would be allowed 2 parking spots so the car wouldnt need to go in storage. On the downside, having to pay ALL utilities can get quite expensive and he's the only one with a guaranteed job. We filled out the app anyhow and the gal said she'd call after the credit check. About an hour or so later we got a call telling us that due to our credit (which is pretty much shot) that we'd have to pay 6 months in advance. Well damn I knew the credit was bad but sheeesh...not that bad! We've yet to decide if we're going to go that route or not. We can once hubby's severance package comes through but it's not an optimal situation for us so we're still looking. There are a couple other places we want to look first that are actually less expensive. The hard point is finding a place that is inexpensive enough, takes our kids, doesnt have income limitations AND isnt "ghetto" (and damn some of the places we passed yesterday definitely were that...thank goodness for http://www.apartmentratings.com/ for helping steer us away from those places).

We found one on Craigs List that sounds promising. The dude wanted to show it to us today but hubby has to work. I told the guy I'd call back when I had an idea of hubby's schedule. It's a basement apartment for $850/ month, INCLUDES utilities AND allows both our babies. I figure there's gotta be something wrong with it other than it being a basement apartment. We drove by yesterday to see about getting a peek at the place but we couldnt find it right off. Hubby figures it may be on another section of the street and we were just missing it. There are only a couple places in the area where I could possibly work at so Im not certain it'll work out. While out we found a few more places with "for rent" signs on them so I'll be giving them a jingle tomorrow to find out if they pass the first bit of criteria (pricing and pets). The good thing about these places are that they are houses and not apartments. That same thing can work against us too though. There were a couple more complexes that looked promising too. They were located in good areas near lots of opportunity for me so *shugz*.

Gotta go....hubby just came home and is going to want to check his email and read the educationals (something I still have to do myself). Im so damn tired as I was up at 730am because some maid service was supposed to be coming in. Not that it was my idea but the company's paying for it. ANYHOW....they didnt show up today so he's gonna want to write the company and let them know the service never showed up. Damn I was looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and taking a dip in that huge tub in the bathroom too. Ah well. At least the kids are comfy.