I heart Craigslist

I am in love with Craigslist right now.

On Friday, I got the stomach flu and was basically out of commission for the entire day. On Saturday, I was very weary of food, so I decided to take it easy and hook up my dvd player to my tv that I have had since college (it has a built in vhs player in it!) and watch season one of Gilmore Girls.

While watching tv, I decided to shred old bank statements, and tackle the huge Rubbermaid bins filled with god knows what.

Well, now that I have gone through said bins, I can tell you I have a bunch of stuff that I don't need anymore. I also found a few things I do need - namely, $100 gift card to Sears (from Christmas, oh, 4 years ago), a $10 gift card to Build-A-Bear, and $30 gift card to Target from two years ago. Score!

Anyways, some of the items I have posted on Craigslist include:

Hello Kitty Water Dispenser

I got this as a gift from a boy who knew my love of Hello Kitty. I actually brought this into work and used it for a month at my desk until I grew annoyed with refilling the water bottle twice a day. Thankfully, I just sold this yesterday to a woman whose daughter loves HK! I told her to give it to her for Christmas. 

Knock off D&G purse

I bought this purse from Canal Street in New York City, on one of my many trips to the Big Apple. I remember I really wanted a cool purse and to feel stylish and hip and I bought this from someone off the street, basically. I used it twice before I realized that it's just too big for me. Thankfully, I sold it yesterday(!!)  to a woman who loves purses!

Birthstone Teddy Bear

I received this birthstone teddy bear from an old boss. She got it for me when I graduated high school and before I left for college. I can't believe I've held onto it for so long. I am hoping this one will sell soon. I have had one person interested in it, but she hasn't called me back again. I definitely don't want it anymore. I hate my birthstone color - peridot. 

Blonde Supermodel Wig

Two years ago I thought my friends and I would dress up for Halloween as the witches from Hocus Pocus. So I bought a Groupon for a local Halloween store, and bought a blonde wig. Turns out the whole dressing up thing didn't really happen, but I wore the wig anyways along with a sparkly black dress and high heels and called myself a Jersey girl. (I am very apathetic when it comes to Halloween and dressing up. I usually stay home and pass out candy) Since then, it's been sitting in my closet, untouched. I hope someone buys this because I really won't use it again. Lesson learned - don't buy Groupons for Halloween merchandise. 

Amazing High Heels

I seriously love these shoes (probably because they are my favorite color!) but if I'm being honest with myself, I should have never bought them. They are a) too big for me and b) have too high of a heel for me to walk normal. Such a shame, but now I know, don't buy anything from Nine West unless it's in the kids department and actually fits. Or better yet, return the stuff if you can. But I have held onto them for awhile because I like to look at them and sometimes wear them around my house. I'm hoping someone buys them though, because they are a constant reminder that I have very small feet. 

Cordless Phone Set

I know, who has landlines anymore? My uncle gifted me this plus another phone and base when I moved into my apartment a few years ago, when we actually had a landline. I know, times have changed, and I am definitely not getting one in my new place, so time to get rid of it. 

Look, it's a koozie!

Last but not least, I found a brand new koozie in the bin o'stuff. I am pretty sure I got this for free somewhere from someone. I am definitely not a koozie type person. I don't think I have ever tailgated. To me, sports games are purely social hour. But given the whole popular Tebowing phenomena, I might have a chance of selling this.

All in all, I have more stuff to sell. I wish I could have a huge garage sale, but it's a) against my HOA rules, and b) my parents are lame and won't let me have it at their house. So, that leaves me uploading items individually on Craigslist, which is a bit of a pain. But it's kinda fun and addicting once you get interest in items you're selling. Here's to hoping I have more success!

Tell me, what have you either found recently or want to get rid of? 

It's cookin' time!

Things I want to make:

Carla's Pumpkin French Toast with Apple Cider Syrup and Spiced Pecans

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I won't be using coffee in the recipe, and I plan on topping them with Reese's!


Tortilla Soup

I also have some bananas to use for banana bread, but I have yet to find a good go to recipe for it. Any ideas? I don't like nuts or anything strange in it, like pepitas. I want something straight forward and plain.


What are you planning on making this week?

Pay it forward

Despite my current problems, i.e., a virus, malware, and now a dead monitor on my work computer, I have had a few random acts of kindness directed my way over the past few months.

#1: Most recently, I had a great experience at Target. I went into the store about 30 minutes before closing at 9 at night to redeem a coupon for a dozen eggs for free. Lucky for me, my mom received the same coupon in the mail and let me have hers. I remember looking at the coupons and swore they expired that night. Why else would I drive to the store for eggs at 9 p.m. at night? I even took extra time making sure I picked the right kind of egg--no eggwhites, no brown eggs, none could be extra large--and made sure the expiration date wasn't anytime soon.

Then I walked to the cashier, with two dozen eggs and my coupons in hand. She rang them up and I handed her the coupons. "These expired yesterday," she said. "I'm so sorry. This is what I get for going to the store at night to buy eggs. I mean, who does this? I'm soo sorry, but I don't want them then," I said. I gathered up my stuff to leave and watched her throw away the coupons. I was about to walk out of the store when she said, "Hey, get yo' eggs!" I turned around in disbelief but didn't hesitate. I grabbed my eggs and said thank you. Later, walking to the car, I wished I had seen her name tag or remembered the register she was on. I would have called the store and put in a good word for her.

#2: My coworker made me an apple cake for my birthday. Plus, she's been sharing her fresh produce from her garden with me and my family all summer.

#3: I went to Blockbuster to return a movie my parents had rented. I was walking back to my car when this lady approached me and asked me if I wanted a free movie rental. Apparently she never goes to Blockbuster and was not planning on using it. I happily accepted!

#4: When I moved my stuff out of storage, the guy on site not only cut off my lock for free (I had lost the key) but he also totally rearranged the direction it was facing for me, which took him an extra ten minutes to do. After this happened, I called customer service and made sure that his supervisor knew how much his going above and beyond meant to me. (I guess this might not have been random kindness but more or less doing his job, but still, it was pretty nice of him.)

#5: While walking my dog one night after work, I had a man driving on the other side of the road shout, "hey beautiful!" At the time I was conflicted-- I didn't know him so that was kinda creepy--but at the same time, it was nice to receive a compliment.

I guess now looking at my list, all of these aren't really random acts of kindness except for the top three. Oh well, I haven't blogged in awhile and I have been wanting to talk about this for awhile now.

Source

Plus, I think it's important to pay it forward! That is why I am planning on "spreading the wealth" so to speak by doing something kind for some of the special people in my life, but also for you blog readers! The first three people who comment will receive something from me! So spread the word, and don't forget to take note of the random acts of kindness in your life.

Emotions.

Last night I had what I call, an emotional breakdown.

(Sometimes I exaggerate)

But it got me thinking about how others deal with their emotions.

For me, I tend to let my emotions build up and then I cry. A lot. Like the kind of cry that little kids do when they fall down or drop something important. The kind of cry that just seems, well, sad. I thought about all the stress I have in my life right now. Unfortunately I didn't think about all the positive things--I mean who does that while crying?--I just thought about how all the recent changes in my life feel like a major burden to me right now.

I tried to complain about my house and the stress of my new job to my mom but she wasn't having it. All she said was, "get over it." Which of course just made me cry even harder and say, "you are so insensitive!" Then I completely shut down and didn't want to talk with her about it at all. I mean, I want sympathy here. Or at least someone to listen without judgment.

Thankfully after my dramatic crying stint last night, complete with snot dropping from my nose, I felt better. I felt emotionally drained though, and tired. But I actually decided not to work on my house alone last night (I've been going there after work and painting every single day this week with the exception of Monday) and instead took a bubble bath and read my book.

I woke up with puffy eyes this morning and a very tired body, but I treated myself to breakfast and approached the day with a more positive attitude. I emailed my new boss with a revised outline for the project I'm working on and have even made a few personal appointments for tomorrow to get pamper myself. I need to listen to myself and my body's calling for some "me" time. Hopefully I the day to myself will help me feel refreshed. I might go get a massage or treat myself to froyo. Who knows. But the prospect of not having to do anything with or for anyone else excites me.

Do you ever have emotional breakdowns? How do you release your emotions?  

Itsy Bitsy Spider

I should have saved this post until next month for Halloween, but oh well.

About two weeks ago, I came home and let the dog out into the backyard. It was dark at this point, and so when I let her back in, I turned on the outside light.

Which is when I saw this:

At first I was really scared, because it looks like a mini tarantula to me. Plus, it's web was literally in the top right corner, right near our back door. 

Once I let the dog in, I shut the door and just started to stare at it. And then of course grabbed my camera to take pictures of it. I took these from behind the door, which explains why it looks like this spider is floating in mid-air.

 

Since the initial spotting of this guy or girl, I have to admit--I have become fascinated with it. I mean, it's like the type of spiders they show on the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. Now it's like a routine to come home and before bed, turn on the outside light to see the spider.

Last week when my mom threatened to kill it, I begged her not to, and then proceeded to search the internet. I even looked at pictures of creepy spiders before bed and didn't have any nightmares.

Turns out, this type of spider is what they call an orb web weaver. It totally builds its web in corners of doorways and can hang out in gardens. The cool part is that it spins a new web everyday and apparently it can put a special white part of the web to detract birds from running into it during the day. I haven't seen "our" spider do this though. Mainly it just hangs out in its web throughout the night hoping to catch something and during the day it crouches between two wooden slats near the door frame.

With the help of this article by a professor of Entomology at Cornell University, I learned that this type of spider is called a Cat-Face Spider and it's totally harmless. I might have my brother try to relocate it though. I am not sure how much longer my mom will allow it to be near the back door.

I guess I can kinda make out a cat face...

Secretly, this spider reminds me of Charlotte's Web, only I hope in this case it doesn't have a bunch of spiderlings. That would not be okay nor welcomed.

My favorite part of the spider is its huge butt.

 Do you have a fascination with spiders? Or are you afraid of them? I think in this case my fascination outweighs my fear of them, but you won't see me touching it or anything else crazy like that.

Painting, painting, and more painting

I have been neglecting my blog...the truth is, it's not for lack of time, or lack of things to say. I simply find it more appealing to refresh my google reader multiple times a day and read other blogger's entries instead of writing one of my own.

But here's an update. I start my new job in exactly 11 days. I still haven't moved into my place. I'm currently in a continuous state of spending money on home improvements--oh joy. I have been painting every weekend, and have started to include some weeknights.

Believe me, I always thought painting would be fun. But it definitely loses its appeal when you have to balance on a ladder to paint the trim, or use these big ass extension poles to paint ceilings. That, is not fun. But it's what I've been doing. However, I know it will all be worth it once I'm settled in. Plus, paint is supposed to last a long time, so I hopefully won't be doing this again anytime soon.

I have to paint the bathroom ceilings, plus my closet ceiling. Then I have to paint all the walls in all the rooms. Sounds easy enough, right? Ugh. It's a lot of work, but it will get done.

The infamous red wall, that has already taken two coats of paint--I predict it will need another two coats of paint before it looks right

What have you been up to?

Something dumb...

Because I am procrastinating at work right now, I decided to write (and rant) about something I think is so dumb.

It's the new breast cancer awareness craze on Facebook. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, if you are a male, you're not supposed to know this, but because I think this is really ridiculous, I'm spilling the beans.

"The idea is to choose the month you were born and the day you were born. Pass this on to the GIRLS ONLY and lets see how far it reaches around. The last one about the bra went round all over the world.
So you'll write... I'm (your birth month) weeks and I'm craving (your birth date)!!! as your status. Example: Feb 14th: I'm 2 weeks and craving Chocolate mints!!

January-1week, Febuary-2 weeks, March-3 weeks, April-4 weeks, May-8 weeks, June-9 weeks, July-10 weeks, August-12 weeks, September-13 weeks, October-14 weeks, November-16 weeks, December-18 weeks.

Days of the month: 1-Skittles, 2-Starburst, 3-Kit-Kat, 4-M&M's, 5-Galaxy, 6-Crunchie, 7-Dairy Milk, 8-Lollipop, 9-Peanut Butter Cups, 10-Meat Balls, 11-Twizzlers, 12-Bubble Gum, 13-Hershey's Kisses, 14-Chocolate Mints, 15-Twix, 16-Resse's Fastbreak, 17-Fudge, 18-Cherry Jello, 19-Milkyway, 20-Pickels, 21-Creme Eggs, 22-Skittles, 23-Gummy Bears, 24-Gummy Worms, 25-Strawberry Pop Tarts, 26-Starburst, 27-Mini Eggs, 28-Kit-Kat Chunky, 29-Double Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies, 30-Smarties, 31-Chocolate Cake"

Now, before I received this message from my Facebook friend, I saw her change her status to: I'm 8 weeks and craving Milkway, which automatically made me think she was expecting. And then the next thought I had was, "homewrecker!" because she already has 3 kids and is dating an old dude who has two kids.

But then a friend that just had a baby in July had a similar status, and I knew it must be one of those chain letter-esque things flying around the Internet. But, it's still dumb! I am certainly not participating. I don't want anyone to think I'm pregnant. I'd rather support breast cancer awareness by participating in the Susan G. Koman Walk for the Cure, or donate money to research.


What do you think? Are you going to participate?

What a month

Hello, 27.

Today is my birthday. Normally I want to celebrate all week long and plan something cool to do with my friends like a picnic or fancy dinner with cake. But this year, it's different.

This year, I would say I've gotten the best birthday presents ever, and have celebrated little by little all month long.

I bought my first place the first week of August.

I accepted a new job yesterday with a better salary.

I found a washer and a dryer for $100, plus a microwave for $10.

Things are falling into place for me--all the things I've been wanting for the past two years, I finally have. And that my friends, is the best gift a girl could ask for. Not to mention, I'm extremely appreciative for my family, who have supported me.

Happy birthday to me.

I'm a Homeowner!

I've been a homeowner for all of two days and yet I still can't wipe the perpetual grin off my face.

I'm happy because this is a goal I've accomplished. I mean, we all set goals, but how often are they actually achieved?

The day of closing my realtor and I did a final walkthrough. Luckily no major appliances went missing and everything was intact. Then we headed to the title office to sign a huge stack of papers.

I am all about nice pens, and the company did not disappoint. Plus, they gave us freshly baked cookies.

The seller and his agent showed up late, but were pretty friendly. I learned he had been a nurse in the Army and that his family owns a small island in the Caribbean. Apparently his ancestors were pirates and to keep their families safe they would put them on this island. It was pretty interesting.

After closing, the seller offered to show me around the place. I had questions for him such as where my mailbox is (because it just said mail key, nothing else) and how I receive packages.

Turns out my mailbox had been labeled with my unit # and if I have a package, they leave a specific package key in my box. Pretty easy.

Then we headed into my place, which the seller said he was going to miss. He warned me about the bad draft that I may get in the winter time due to the lack of weather stripping on the door. He told me he didn't have a key to the storage closet off of my balcony and how the door doesn't actually latch for some reason. However, he figured it out. All you have to is pull up on the door and it will slide into the latch. But I still can't lock anything in there because there's no key, so it looks like I'll need a new lock.

I noticed one window screen was missing and another halfway off. He offered to fix that for me but couldn't right then because he was wearing sandals. Apparently to pop the screen in, you need one person on the outside of the window (basically standing on the roof which is completely UNSAFE) and then another person to push on the other side. I think I'll just call maintenance....

It was after the window scenario that he asked me if I was single and then proceeded to tell me he'd be more than happy to come over and get rid of the old carpet, since some carpet guys don't like doing that part of the job. I politely told him that I had a carpet guy already in mind (my neighbor) and that I'm pretty sure he didn't mind that part of the job.

Then he suggested I take the carpet out first so I can paint the baseboards. The next minute I knew, he was actually ripping up the carpet--apparently he was curious to find out what was in a certain spot. Turns out it was just a piece of foam from the carpet pad.

Awkward.


Time to go. While we were leaving, he offered to help me move in. Apparently he lives with a bunch of other guys who would be willing to help as well. We exchanged numbers (because I won't really turn down free movers) and then he left. I waited till he was gone and then went back into my place and put the carpet back where it belongs.

Then yesterday I took both locks to Lowes to have them rekeyed. Turns out since the deadbolt had no key and wasn't a certain type of lock, I couldn't get it rekeyed. But thankfully, the new lock only cost $12.97 and the bottom lock was able to be rekeyed.

I even helped put the locks in. The only mistake I made was putting in the deadbolt latch upside down.

I have a feeling I have a lot to learn but I am ready for the challenge.

Mommy, wow! I'm a big kid now!

July will go down in my memory as a very grown-up month.

July 2: Attended a bbq with M's family, saw fireworks (randomly) and said goodbye...

July 3: My best friend since kindergarten had her first child, a boy, via natural birth.

July 4: Spent the day with newer friends but never once felt awkward or ignored. Saw fireworks too! M also left today to drive to Texas. She's moving to be closer to her boyfriend.

July 7: Found out the bank has accepted the offer I placed in May on a townhouse!

July 11: Had a home inspection done, to the tune of $275. Found out there's some water stains in the attic and storage closet due to some moisture issues. Have to replace the hot water heater too and do a major cleaning of the place.

July 12: Signed loan documents! AHHHH! Part of me is excited about the future yet still very cautious. I'll breathe a sigh of relief and get excited after I close and have the keys in my hands.

To be done:

Hear if my loan got approved.

Close on August 8th.

Get decorating ideas.

Pick out new carpet and paint.

Go through my storage unit - get rid of stuff if necessary.

Find a white over-the-cabinet microwave

Do a major deep clean!

Move in.

Another bites the dust

Two weekends ago, I went to the Greek festival with catholic boy...

...and broke up with him.

In the weeks before "the talk" we had made some progress.

He had asked me to be in a relationship with him on Facebook, which I was totally not expecting and said, "can i think about that?" My response didn't sit well with him at all.

Then we had a heart to heart and basically didn't bring it up again. I thought about his question though, and as much as he is a nice guy, he isn't the right one for me. He had very strong feelings for me, including butterflies in his stomach, but I worried a lot that I would never be able to return said feelings.

A week later, we had a late-night discussion about friends. I was thinking that maybe if he met my friends I could tell whether or not he could hold his own. I thought that would make my decision to be or not be with him that much clearer and easier. But when I asked him if he would be comfortable meeting my friends, he wasn't enthused. And when I asked him if I could meet his friends, he straight out said, "you wouldn't like them. they aren't like you. they are atheist and vuglar." To which I replied, "you are so sweet, I can't imagine you hanging out with such people."

After we parted ways that night, I couldn't stop shaking my head. Something felt off. Something wasn't right. I still don't know exactly what it was, but I have learned from my past that I should always trust my gut, and in this situation, my gut was telling me to listen. So I did.

He had never been to the Greek festival before, so I thought, the best thing I can do is give him a good memory of it. We went to the liquor store beforehand where we bought shooters of various alcohol, and stopped at a nearby KFC to eat some fried chicken beforehand. After all, you can shouldn't eat on an empty stomach.

We listened to music, people watched, and drank. It was enjoyable. Then it was time to have "the talk." He noticed something wasn't right but I didn't want to have "the talk" in public. I wanted to do it alone, somewhere quiet.

So I told him it was time to leave and went to this church which had a lovely garden. It was near where I had parked. I told him that something felt off to me and that I think we would be better off as friends. He cried (a tear or two) and then went into a bout of self-pity. It was pretty sad to watch, but I tried to reassure him it wasn't anything specific that he had done, we just weren't the right fit.

We talked and he asked me if I wanted to be friends...to which I said, sure, let's give it a try. Only at the end of the conversation, in which he told me he is an atheist (yet he didn't even know what that word meant when I asked him so), he changed that to, can we be friends with benefits?

Um, what? I didn't expect that at all, although in hindsight I should've known. He is a boy after all.

Fast forward to this past weekend where we saw each other for the first time since the break up. I had actually 100% made up my mind that I only wanted to be friends. I even suggested he come over and play cards. He did come over but he definitely pressed for more than friends, to which I had to reject him. I felt good about my decision and he was respectful of it. We did end up cuddling on the couch though. And let me tell you, he is an amazing cuddler! But, I have made up my mind, I am not going to go into the friends with benefits zone.

We are set to watch fireworks on Sunday. Hopefully it isn't awkward.


Have you been friends with benefits with someone you've dated before? Did it have a happy ending?

Is this really happening?

Remember this whole house drama?

Well turns out, it didn't go to auction after all.

My realtor found out the lender didn't even know it wasn't auctioned off.

Apparently they are THAT FAR BEHIND.

When he talked to the lady last week she said she would put my offer in the "expedited folder," and promised a "quick response."

Keep in mind now, the new auction date is set for July 13th.

Then I got an email on Tuesday from my realtor saying that we'd hear something on Wednesday. So of course all day Wednesday I am anxious....

...and I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING!

But, I got another email today from my realtor saying, "Hopefully things are going forward so it's time to get your loan started.  Do you want to go with the person who did your approval or do you want another name or two?"

So now I am officially "shopping around for a lender."

This might actually be happening.

I'm so nervous! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Rant of the Day

Sometimes I really don't like my coworkers.

Yesterday we were sitting around the table in the conference room, when the coworker who has stolen my food before sits down next to me and announces with a smirk, "I might have taken someone's raspberries."

I immediately ask her if she took some of the organic ones. "Yeah, are they yours?"

Yes. Yes. Yes. Why does this always happen to me?

She said she got confused and thought they were on her shelf of the fridge.

The sad part is that I hadn't even washed nor eaten any of them and had seriously just brought them in yesterday because I didn't want them to go bad at home.

She of course apologized and offered for me to take some of her "non-organic" ones. Which honestly were way mushier than mine--heck no do I want any of those!

And then today, my other coworker had the same exact flavor and brand of hummus...and all during lunch I kept thinking, WHY ME? DON'T STEAL MY FOOD! I didn't say anything, but after we were done eating I secretly checked the fridge. Turns out hers was on the inside door. (below)

WHEW. What a relief.


Have you had any lunch mishaps at work?

House? What House?

Let me tell you all, house hunting sucks. SUCKS. And sadly, I've only been doing it for the past two months.

Why does it suck so badly you ask? Let me tell you why it is not my favorite thing to do right now.

A month ago, after seeing 12 places, after having a mini-meltdown and having my bff and uncle look at it with me (again), I put in an offer on a two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse. The second-floor unit over looks the community pool, and has a fireplace and cathedral ceilings.

This unit is also a short sale.

What does that mean you ask? Well, here's what wikipedia says:

"Short sales are different from foreclosures in that a foreclosure is forced by a lender, whereas both lender and borrower consent to a short sale. However, this consent may be revoked at any time as short sales are entirely voluntary transactions for both parties. The borrower may decide to remain in the property and attempt a refinance or modification of their mortgage loan, or may refuse to cooperate with the lender's demand for financial documentation or a cash contribution, and thereby ensure foreclosure. Similarly, lenders can refuse to evaluate or approve a short sale offer, generally due to disapproval of either the buyer's offer amount or high closing costs, which reduces the lender's net proceeds. All short sale contracts should include a contingency clause specifying that the contract is contingent upon approval of the seller's lender(s)."

I put in the offer knowing that it could be auctioned off two days later. My realtor even forewarned me not to get emotionally attached to any place that I see or bid on.

I listened to him, but not fully apparently.

Since I made my offer over a month ago, I haven't heard a single thing.

But I have had the chance to tell friends and family about my potential place. And seeing them get excited and offer me decorating tips conversely made me have some positive outlook and hope that this might become reality.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday, I was stalking  perusing the county assessor's site, and noticed that the mortgage company had put an initial bid of $96,000 on it. I was concerned, since previously, that box has been blank. I called my realtor and he called me back later in the day saying, he was disappointed and that the property was going to auction today.

I was a mix of emotions.

Frustrated- check.
Disappointed - Check.
Sad - Check.
Angry - Check.

I didn't understand why the bank never countered or at least said, hey, no thanks. Instead I HAD NO RESPONSE UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE THE AUCTION, cuz that's smart. *rolls eyes*

The thing that also made me angry was that they rejected my bid, which was almost 15K more than what the bank's initial bid was.

My realtor simply said they (the bank) found it easier to "pull the plug" on it and let it go to auction rather than take the time or manpower to counter my offer or at least respond to it. This boggles my mind. Seriously. I mean, you'd think that any bank who is owed money, would like to find a buyer for said property so they get their money repaid. DUH.

But apparently banks don't think logically.

So yesterday I spent all night upset, kinda crying, and really just not in the best of moods. At one point I even passed out on my bed with my head using my stuffed teddy bear as a pillow. Not pretty, my friends, not pretty.

What added insult to injury was my mother's pesky voice saying all these things. "If you had just bid what they were asking for, you probably would've gotten it..." and, "you know, if you can't handle offering more money next time, maybe you shouldn't buy. Maybe you should rent and get a roommate somewhere."


I WANT MY OWN PLACE DAMMIT!!

I would have never even started this process if I wasn't serious about it because the last thing I want to do is waste anyone's time.

That said, I do freak out about the money aspect of it. Not so much the mortgage part, because that's comparable to paying rent, but more or less the other parts of it. The HOA monthly fees, the utilities, and the mortgage/homeowners insurance I have to get.

Luckily, a family friend's daughter recently moved home and wants to move out. She's reached out to me already but I haven't discussed anything roommate-related yet because I don't have a place yet. Again, I'm logical.

So today I came into work feeling emotionally drained and just irritable.

Out of curiosity, I checked the county assessor's site again because I wanted to see if in fact, the property was sold for the $96,000 that the mortgage company offered....

...and you wouldn't believe what I saw.

IT DID NOT GO TO AUCTION TODAY, and the sale date has been postponed till July 13th.

Seriously? THIS MAKES NO SENSE!

As of now, I'm waiting to hear back from my realtor to see what the heck the deal is. I don't know if they received another (better) offer or if they just are behind on the paperwork. The listing agent did say that the lady who's working on this listing has 600 foreclosures sitting on her desk. That sounds like a miserable job, but at the same time, I'd be great if she would actually do her job.

I'm also taking every offer now with a grain of salt and am not going to become attached to another property...even though I saw a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit in the same complex this weekend and can completely imagine the third bedroom as my reading/comfy room.

Readers, I'll keep you posted, but in the mean time, share with me one of your frustrating stories. It'll help me feel better.

Rain & Music - They Go Together

It's literally been raining on and off all week. This is not typical Colorado weather. Yes, "we need the moisture," but after day 4 of rain, I'd take a nice, sunny, dry day over moisture.

The good thing about all these rainy days is that I've been listening to a lot of music, which I don't always do.

Here are a few that I've been listening to on repeat this week:


Fashion of His Love by Lady Gaga

The Cave by Mumford & Sons

World At Large by Modest Mouse

Lisztomania by Phoenix 

F***** Perfect by Pink

Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Kids by MGMT

What songs have you been listening to this week?

Updates! Updates! Updates!

Lately I haven't been posting because I've been reading all of your entries. I know, that's no excuse, but when things in my life change or there's important developments, I tend to go silent in the blogging world and take the time to deal with them in "real" life.

Since I last posted, I have some updates to share.

As you all know from my post a month ago, I went to Arizona to see a boy I've been talking with for five years. The trip itself was intense because there were ups and downs. Day one was intense for me because he sucked a lot of energy from me. Day two was much better because I felt balanced and we did some things that he wanted to do and some things I wanted to do too. Day three was horrible because all we did was argue and fight. We were supposed to have an amazing date night but it was the worst date I've never been on. We barely talked at dinner and then he took me home. Granted, now I realize that we probably had that bad day because this entire time we were around each other all day, minus the time when we were asleep in our own places. At least the trip ended on an okay note. We actually got to go to the pool and relax and were civil and nice to each other the last day. I do have to say, four days of non-stop boy time was too much. In the future, if I ever do something crazy like this again, I'm going to definitely schedule in "me" time and take a shorter trip.

Since the trip, we made the mutual decision to break things off. We are still friends and happen to still talk frequently, but I'm relieved we're no longer dating or trying to figure out if a relationship would have worked.

This leads me to introduce a new boy, whom I met from CatholicMatch.com. He is nice and patient and not at all like the Arizona boy. We've been going out for two months or so, and I have enjoyed my time hanging out with him. He has a job, but he also has some faults. Like...he can't drive because he has a hereditary condition with his eyesight which causes him to be unable to see contrasts. He also lives at home, which is fine, but recently while we were on a date, he spilled some green chile on his pants and immediately he said, "my mom's gonna be so mad at me," while he furiously tried to get rid of the stain. I couldn't believe his mom still does his laundry. I mean, he's 27! I live at home, but I would never have my mom do my laundry. It's MY responsibility. Talk about a turnoff.

And then there's the whole Catholic thing. I mean, I'm not a perfect Catholic, but I have to say over the past year or so, I've really grown a lot spiritually, and frankly, I want that in my future life partner someday. I've invited him to several church-type events and he's basically said no to all of them. And it's not like me to just be that person to keep nagging someone to go, so I haven't invited him to anything since.

Two weeks ago, the asshole treated me to frozen yogurt. I haven't seen him in awhile and I have no intention of dating him, but I did want to kiss him for comparison purposes only, which I disclosed to him before we even met that night. And I have to tell all of you, I felt more of a spark with him based off of those two kisses than I have with Catholic boy for the past two months.

Therefore, I've decided that I need to be honest with Catholic boy and tell him I think we should only be friends and that the spark just isn't there for me. I've been trying to do this for the past week and a half, but our schedules just haven't worked out, so hopefully by next weekend this hard conversation will be over with.

Surprisingly, I'm actually happy with not dating anyone right now. I'm sure there will be days when I'm envious of others or feeling lonely, but right now I think I'm where I'm supposed to be. It also doesn't hurt that I made an offer on a townhouse! The thought of moving on with my life is really exciting to me. I'm just waiting to hear if my offer has been accepted or not. So send me some positive vibes!

What's new with you?

Forks Over Knives

Last night I was lucky enough to see an advanced screening of Forks over Knives. The doctors in the movie--Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn--argue that we would all be healthier if we follow a plant-based diet. This means eating mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, and avoiding animal by-products such as meat, eggs, and dairy.

The narrator of the documentary went to a holistic doctor who ran a bunch of tests on him and concluded he was susceptible to a heart attack. He agreed to try a plant-based diet for 13 weeks. By the end of his trial, he was no longer reliant on caffeine, his cardiovascular health was in a normal range, and he had more energy.

In another instance, a lady who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes went on the same type of diet and over two years later, she has reversed her disease and has lost more than 40 pounds.

I think overall, the documentary was well-worth the conversations that it sparked between my friend and I, but I do wish some other points were addressed. For example, if we were to eat organic meat, would that be allowed? Or would these doctors still argue against it completely?

Personally, I do believe I could benefit from eating more vegetables and whole grains. However, if I want to eat a cheeseburger or have a glass of milk, I should be able to. I think the point is to figure out what type of diet works best for you and your lifestyle and go with that.

Have you seen this movie? If not, would you?

Things I....

... want:

A bento box. Guess I'm feeling "green" again.

A smart phone ... but I'm too cheap right now to get one.

... that are exciting:

I got pre-approved for a mortgage! And I have a realtor! w00t

 

 

 

... I am obsessed with:

Greek yogurt with cranberry granola

I seriously can't eat just one of the these...I love the black sesame seeds in them!

Frozen yogurt

Cheeseburgers from the Cherry Cricket in Denver. SO.GOOD.

....What are you obsessed with or wanting? What's exciting?

I'm going.... to Arizona.

Remember this?


Well, I'm going.

My flight leaves in 8 hours.

Stories and future blog posts to come.

It's a success!

Thanks for all your kind thoughts and prayers regarding my mom and my aunt.

On Monday, my mom went into the hospital for the bone marrow transplant. They poked holes on the back of her pelvis bone, and used different sized needles to get the most of her bone marrow.

She stayed overnight and had a blood transfusion. Basically, once the doctors took the bone marrow, they only used the white blood cells from it for my aunt, and gave my mom her red cells back through the blood transfusion which took four hours.

Since then, my aunt has been feeling very good and has had a very positive attitude. My mom still has some swelling and definitely is still sore--she said it basically feels like she threw out of her back (ouch!)--but she is doing well.

It's one thing to read about a bone marrow transplant, but it's completely different to actually donate yours. I am so proud of her and so happy it went well.

I'm actually considering getting tested to see if I could be someone's potential match. 

Would you ever donate your bone marrow or an organ?

A Scary Dream

Last night we had a ridiculous amount of hurricane force winds. It was unreal.

After watching tv, I went to sleep.

And had a scary dream.

I had a dream that there was this white guy who went into our backyard. He climbed our house and looked inside the windows to my parents bedroom. My parents were asleep, and I was the one that had that strange feeling of being watched. I looked at him and he dropped down to the ground. I looked out the window and saw our dog looking up at me. I wondered why she didn't bark at him.

I ran to the phone and was going to dial 911, but I realized I really should call the local police department, but of course I didn't have the number, nor the time to look it up. So I hung up the phone, and ran to the other side of the bedroom to look out the window and saw he had moved to the side of the house where the driveway is.

I peered down at him from the window and he made eye contact with me. The neighbor's mosquito killing light was bright enough that I could see him clearly. He had a tall, husky build, with brown curly hair and facial hair. He had brown eyes and was wearing a hockey jersey.

At this point, I kept trying to yell at him to go away but he couldn't hear me. So I lifted the window up halfway and tried again. Still couldn't do anything. I was scared he would somehow say something or get in the room, so I quickly shut the window. Then I made eye contact with him again and flipped him off and pretended I was deaf and did random things with my hands (presumably my attempt to do sign language--I had watched Celebrity Apprentice last night before bed).

It was at this point that I thankfully woke up.

It was scary. And then I heard footsteps outside my door and freaked out. But I had the courage to open my door and saw it was our dog. She came into bed with me (more like hogged the entire bed) but she made me feel safe enough to go back to sleep. I did say a few prayers too. I was spooked!

Have you had any bad dreams lately?

A "fun" update

Here's an update on my goal to have more fun this year:

So far I've done painting again...this time an African sunset.

 Spent a weekend in the mountains...

Where I went snowshoeing for the first time.

And recently went to one of those paint your own pottery places, where I painted a pretty princess mug.

What types of fun things have you been up to?

Negative numbers are no fun

They say that one of the top reasons why most marriages end in divorce is because of money.

After yesterday, I gotta agree with that statement.

Yesterday was stressful at work, but I stayed late to finish everything. While I was waiting to approve something, I logged into my bank account online. Now, being that it's the end of the month, I knew I'd be a little low on funds. This is because the majority of my bills are due at the end of the month--i.e. rent, student loan, and storage.

But I can tell you this. I did not expect to see -$700.54 as my balance.

I immediately tried to comprehend what the hell I could've spent that much money on. I sure as hell knew I didn't just go out on some shopping spree. But I think I was too panicked to really do the math. So I called my mom.

36 minutes later, we basically figured out I had made two mistakes. #1 was thinking I could transfer a substantial amount of money from checking to my other savings account without really checking to see if I had money in there. That basically messed up alot of it. And, I paid off my Discover credit card on which I had charged my new tires on. So that was a hefty payment--normally I'd have that extra $357 in my account. #2 It actually hurt me to have my automatic savings transaction this pay period. Had I canceled that, I would've had enough funds to cover all my bills.


When I got home from work, I got into bed and cried in the dark. I cried because I felt like a failure. I mean, I'm 26 years old, I should know how to manage money. Right? RIGHT. I was also angry because I WORK HARD for my money. How unfair is it that I work and yet I have none?

At one point when I was on the phone with my mom, she said, "You know if you had a mortgage payment right now, they could take away your loan because you don't have money in your account." This really made me upset because if I can't buy my own place--where the hell am I supposed to live? I can't live with my parents the rest of my life. And renting is just like throwing money out the window.

During my hysterical crying fit, I actually had the thought that since I didn't have a cent to my name (which obviously isn't true--I have more than enough in savings, but I don't want to borrow from savings because I'm afraid I'll never pay myself back) I would have to go to the food bank for groceries. And then I thought of next month when I'd have money to spend again and how everytime I'd go to the grocery store, I would set aside $12 or so for items to donate to the food bank so that I could help someone else.

Obviously, I can be (sorta) melodramatic. But I haven't overdrafted my account like that EVER. So you can imagine why it was such a big deal to me. Thank god I have overdraft protection. Plus, my parents owed me some money. So basically, all I owe the bank will be the amount my automatic savings withdrawal took earlier this month, which I have already scheduled to transfer tomorrow.

So everything will be okay.


Have you ever cried over money? How do you deal with the stress of it all and still maintain your sanity?

On the radio

Last night on my way home, I was listening to the radio.

This guy had apparently given the radio station all these hints about a lucky lady who he wanted to propose to...some of the hints where what city she lived in and what restaurant they shared their first date at.

Well, the lucky lady called in because she had been getting tons of phone calls and texts from her friends who had been listening--they all thought it was her.

She called in and the djs asked her to confirm all the answers to the hints that they had given out throughout the day. She got them all right...and then her boyfriend got on the phone.

I had just pulled into my driveway when I got to this part, which always seems to happen. But I waited and listened to see what she was gonna say.

Well, she completely flipped out. And not in a good way. She said she never likes making a public spectacle of herself, so why would he call and propose to her ON NATIONAL RADIO? But the real kicker was when she said, "I can't marry someone who doesn't know me." And then she hung up.

What a disaster! That poor guy.

Today was telling my friend this story, and we both agreed that a radio proposal wouldn't be our choices. I mean, you can't even see his facial expression. I could see this working out if it was a long distance thing, but if you're in the same state/city, it makes no sense to me.

How do you want to be proposed to? In public? In private? 
For those who are already engaged or married--how did he/she propose?

My Strange Addiction

Oh my gosh...has anyone seen the show on TLC called My Strange Addiction? It's like crazy.

A few weekends ago I hunkered down and watched a bunch of episodes. One featured a girl who ate laundry detergent and soap, another girl ate chalk, one had a shopping addiction, and another was a ventriloquist who took her puppets everywhere with her. Oh, and I can't forget about the (now single) mom who uses a hair dryer to go to bed. Not only did her addiction ruin her marriage, it also caused her physical harm. She had multiple scars on her arms from getting burnt by the hair dryer. 



Another episode featured a mother who was addicted to eating Comet cleaning powder for more than 35 years. It showed her when she went to the dentist and took x-rays of her mouth. All of her teeth were rotten. Lucky for her, the dentist said she would replace her entire mouth with fake teeth for free. In return, she had to seek therapy and rid herself of her addiction.

It's definitely crazy to watch all these people having such strange addictions, but the bottom line is, they all really have psychological problems, which is sad.

Have you seen this show?

Drum Roll...

Remember the giveaway I did last month? Well, my dog and I finally settled on a winner....TELLIE!

Hope & Faith

A phone call.

Disbelief.


Panic.

What do all of these have in common?

Well, today at work I received a phone call from my mom telling me that my aunt, who has always treated me like the daughter she never had (she has a son, who is almost my age), has "acute leukemia."

Disbelief starts to set in. And a thousand questions. And the feeling of panic because I want so badly to do something--to fix it--to feed her and comfort her. I think to myself, I can learn how to sew and make her a quilt. I can fix her some of her favorite foods (because undoubtedly the hospital food will suck). I can give her a hug...

...But I can't.

The doctor said if she doesn't undergo intense treatment, she will only have 90 days left to live. She's going to spend a month in the hospital undergoing chemo and strong therapies to fight off the disease. She can't have visitors because her immune system is too weak--one person with a cold could kill her.

The only thing I can do now is pray for her, for my cousin and for my uncle and have hope that things will be okay.

Busy Busy Bee

I love having time to hang out with friends, and basically do whatever I want now that my seasonal job at the mall is over.

Well, now I have a (good) dilemma, and I need your input.

Here's the situation. I basically have three invitations for the weekend of February 5 & 6.


Option #1: A women's retreat. I've gone to this retreat for two or three years now and each year I've had a great time. This retreat is only held once a year, and the reason why I like it so much is because I feel like I can just be myself. That, and it's in the mountains, and it's only $89 total, which includes meals and lodging for both days.

Option #2:Celebrate a friend's birthday. I actually invited my friend Kristen to the women's retreat, and via text message, she told me that weekend is her birthday. Eeeks! I didn't know that. Obviously, I can celebrate with her on that Friday night before the retreat (if I go) or after the retreat, but if I didn't go on the retreat, I could take her out.

Option #3: Go to a baby shower. Yesterday I received an invitiation to a baby shower for another friend, whom I have known since I was 16. We aren't bffs, but we do see each other like twice a year. She's expecting her first child, and it'd be super awesome to be apart of her baby shower. I've been meaning to make plans with her, so this would be good timing.

If I don't attend, I could make plans to give her/the baby a gift, but I kinda hate to miss her baby shower. I've thought about going to the shower and coming to the retreat late, but I'd still miss most of the day, because the shower isn't till 1:30. Then let's say it lasts two hours...that's 3:30, plus an hour to drive to the mountains...that's already 4:30, and the retreat ends around noon I think on Sunday.


So, what should I do? What would you do? How do you handle it when you have too many invites?

2011: Bring on the fun!

I don't do new year's resolutions because I think they are all a load of crap. Personally, for me, if I want to achieve or accomplish something, I call it a goal.

That being said, a few of my "goals" for the year include:

• Gettin' crafty. 
• Watching what I spend (i.e., trying to eat more at home and not waste food)
• Have fun!

I'm already off to a great start!

During the summer last year I had to attend a conference for work. Well, one of my sessions was canceled, so I walked to a B&N, and grabbed some magazines, one of which was Real Simple. I saw the coolest idea for organizing your jewelry. It was called a jewelry board. Ever since the summer, I've wanted to make one, and one the first day of the new year, I did just that.

Waaaala!

So pretty!

I'm really proud of how this turned out. My next project that I want to do is create a scrapbook. I'm still unsure if I want to do one devoted to my trip to China or one of college memories. It's a toss up, but I'm looking forward to it!

Speaking of having fun, I attended my first ever painting and wine class this week and had SO.MUCH.FUN. Seriously, I can't wait to go back. Here's my interpretation of a dandelion:

The first week of the year has certainly been off to a great start...happy new year!!

Why my family is crazy and another reason why I need to move out

Here's reason #1,4562,165 why I need to move out of my parent's house.

Today was filled with laziness, productiveness, and a bit of fresh air.

It wasn't until an hour ago that things took a severe nosedive.

You see, my little brother, 10, stayed up way too late last night and didn't get enough sleep. Therefore, around dinner time he got grouchy. He was mad that he had to clean the dishes. Well, my other brother who is home for winter break from college, decided to egg him on and taunt him about the fact that he had to do his 4+ pages of homework after he cleaned the dishes.

The little brother didn't appreciate that and thought he would take a roll of sealed wrapping paper and try to hit my other brother. A 10 year-old versus a 21 year-old makes for a bad loss on my lil brothers end. Basically, my other brother decided to show him who was boss, and took him into a headlock while making him walk down the stairs. I watched the entire thing happen.

Obviously my little brother freaked out a bit, but once he did that, my other brother loosened his grip. They get down to the kitchen table, and we hear my little brother crying and yelling about being choked, but we don't think anything of it. I went upstairs and ate some chocolate.

Well, then we get a call. My dad looks at the caller id and it says "Adams." Who could that be? With an incredulous look upon her face, my mother reluctantly answers. I figured it was some call asking for donations. Um, yea, I was wrong.

Turns out it was the 911 dispatch center calling in response to an emergency call. Turns out my little brother called 911 and then hung up. Classic, I know. I remember when I did it was a little kid and my friend Michelle and I knew the cops were coming so we hid behind the washer/dryer. We got in big trouble.

Anyways, turns out they already dispatched a cop to come over, even though we insisted everything was fine. In the 15 to 20 minutes it took for the cop to arrive at our house, my mom started cleaning like a madwoman. She yelled at me to hang up all the coats and to put all the dirty laundry that was sitting on the landing upstairs into baskets. Seriously, makes no sense to me. I mean, who cares that we have laundry sitting around? We live here, duh!

After pacifying my mom with household chores, I kept looking out my bedroom window for the cop's car. I warned everyone when he pulled up to the house.

He knocks, but we didn't answer, so he just lets himself inside the house. I put the dog downstairs.

The officer asks why my brother called 911, to which he flat out says, "because my brother choked me." The cop looks to my mom for confirmation, and my mom says no. My brother says she's wrong. The officer basically ends up giving my brother a lecture about how 911 is for emergencies only, and to not call if he's not getting along with his brother and to only call if something is being stolen or if someone is hurt.

Thankfully, that's how it ended and the cop left.

But seriously, what a way to start off the new year....