100th Post!

So the last few days have been nothing short of crazy. My father ended up in the hospital on Saturday. His multiple infections started to really act up. At one point, we really thought that this might be his final battle. I rushed home last night after I called him on the phone. He told me "Julie, it hurts to talk... I have to hang up. I love you. I'm so sorry. I love you, I'm so sorry.." and he was crying. It scared the hell out of me, I really didn't know if I would see him again. Turns out he had a bad reaction to some very strong medication. His condition is stabilized right now, and we're all very grateful that he's so delightfully stubborn.

This brings up another area of stress- where should I be living right now? I have a job I can tolerate, working with people I genuinely like. I don't want to toss everything away that I have here. We just bought a place, I have a boyfriend who loves me, and I may eventually move up at work and earn some decent money. On the other hand, I have a wonderful family, who unfortunately happen to be mortal. I'd really like to be there for them.

It wouldn't take all THAT much to move back home.. .I love the area, and it's always easy to find a bank that is hiring. For what I'm paying on my mortgage right now, I can get a decent bit of land and have more room for my dart frog hobby.

Speaking of dart frogs, I'm building 2 more frog tanks. I have 4 green legged lamasi tadpoles that will occupy one tank, and I'll be getting a couple of adult P. azureiventris- essentially ninja dart frogs. They're freaking sweet.

That's enough rambling for now. Hope everyone is well and happy.

Contrary to Popular Belief...

I'm not dead!

In fact, Val and I are happily settling in to our brand new place. Our first mortgage payment came in a week ago (not due until May! Let's celebrate!) and we're busy getting everything decorated and sorta organized. To try and play catch up, here's the news:

Val has decided to cut back on school a bit and join Airtight Games as a full-time mid-level programmer.

I've applied to Charter Bank as a Operations Specialist. Thanks to Ashley, a past coworker at WaMu, I had an interview with the V.P. on Thursday. Cross your fingers for me!

Val and I got a U-Haul stuck in a random snow storm during our move. We pulled an all-nighter on February 28th-March 1st, once we were able to move our U-Haul out of the snow at 3am. Going to work right after moving everything out of our apartment was hell, considering we didn't get a drop of sleep. We got the $1000 bonus for moving out in one day though. Worth it? Hell yeah!

Finley the froglet died during the move. He burrowed under a pebble smaller than a quarter... when it shifted, the weight of it crushed him. I never thought I'd cry so hard over an amphibian. It's so hard to see something grow up only to see it crushed.

My remaining dart frogs, Petri and Adama, have started courting. I heard my first "Hey Baby" calls on Wednesday. Wish me luck! Maybe I'll have a few more tadpoles to murder. :(

Val and I have been daydreaming about adopting an Italian Greyhound. We've decided to name him Sparta. "This is for SPARTA!!!" Or... "This is SPARTA!" It's all very dramatic. Plus, the Burke Gilman trail is right at our doorstep. It'd be a great place for a pooch!

Hope all is well with you and your own!

We're Still Alive!

We're all moved in... and do I have some stories to tell you!

Unfortunately, we won't have the internet (or cable!) for who knows how long... So sadly my tales of woe will just have to wait. Thankfully the hot programmer boyfriend has allowed me to use his computer long enough to post this.

Papers were signed as of 12:06pm today. It's official- We're home owners!!!!

Hope life is treating all of you well!

This is it....

We are moving in on Wednesday!!!!

Sick... again.

Because I didn't suffer enough with the flu last week, I was blessed with a cold this week. Coughing, sneezing, manly voice and all. What a great time! I finally called in sick, there was no way in hell I could function well enough to handle large sums of cash. I slept for the majority of the day and thankfully I feel much better. I have to be 110% this weekend since we have to move.

Speaking of moving- because we are the first people to close on our condo at this site, there has been an issue with the documentation. Because of this, our loan *won't* close on the 28th... The 28th is the last day we can be in the apartment we're living at... So we might just be living out of a U-Haul until things get figured out.

I can't wait until this is over.

A new home.

We're buying our first place. Pictures can be found here and more info about the location can be found here.

The loan closes on February 28th. We'll have a place to live by March!

Update

If I had one word for all the emotions going through me right now, it'd make my life a hell of a lot easier. There's just so much going on, and so much changing that it's a little too much to handle right now.

Increase of responsibility at work = yay, but more chances to screw up.

Found a really nice condo that Val and I adore. We love it, so of course it'll sell for at least $20k more than the asking price. In other words, we have yet to find a place to live.

I discovered a new hobby that is insanely biology nerdish but too expensive for me to dive into. I have yet to reveal it, but let's just say that a webpage dedicated to the hobby is in the works. I figure I have to balance my life- trivial purse obsession on one end, biology geek at the other.

Due to a thermostat issue, my newest d. ventrimaculatus died. The heat was out of whack and I walked into a sauna. I opened the tank and found him on the floor of the tank, not moving. I saw him open his mouth once and he died right there... It's my first adult frog death, and it was heartwrenching to watch.

On the positive side of the hobby, Finley is growing so, so fast. He's starting to look like a real frog!



Please excuse the over-exposure, but I had to capture his new markings! Note the stripes down his back and the spots on his legs. He's starting to look more and more like an adult!



So, there's the update on my life. Hope all is well with you!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

So here's the scoop:

Val got a full-time job offer at his company. If he dropped out of school he'd make 2x what I'm pulling in. This is where I kick myself for focusing on biological anthropology, and where I pat myself on the back for landing a damn fine sugar daddy.

I'm still in the mist of condo/manufactured home hunting. The problem with most manufactured homes is that they don't come with land, and if they're not permanently fixed on a concrete base they're considered a vehicle. That's right, by the end of this year I might own a 60' car. I always wanted a stretch limo.

There are a couple of condos in the area that I'd love to get my hands on. One of which is just down the street from Microsoft. The good thing about investing in a condo in that location is in a couple of years I'd be able to sell it and get a nice $30-$50k in my bank account. I've already spent that money- Most of it gets kicked back to my family, another chunk goes into another downpayment for a nicer place, and the remaining into my investment portfolio. Damn it feels good to dream.

I ventured off to a fellow dart-frogger's house this evening to pick up a orphaned vent. While he was there he gave us two green legged lamasi tadpoles. That's right, he GAVE me two tadpoles of a species that was just introduced into the country in 2005. It blows my mind that I have seen species of frogs that are so rare, let alone own two tadpoles of such a species.



The tadpoles are so cute- they have bright yellow eyebrows and yellow lips on dark bodies. They're simply adorable! So here's to hoping that I don't kill the poor little guys...

Life.

A brief update:

Val and I recently got notice that our apartment complex has been sold and every apartment will be offered for sale. Our apartment (600sf) is selling for $230k. We have to move by February. We've only been here for two months, so the whole thing comes as a shock.

I'm looking into buying a 1200sq/f manufactured home in Bothell. The thing looks like the 70s died in it, but thankfully that's what Home Depot is for. Remodelling party, anyone? I just have to come up with $3k.

My great aunt Pearl isn't doing very well at the moment. She's in intensive care, and has lost the will to keep going. Please keep her in your thoughts/prayers/meditations if it is your style to do so.

My car needs a new blower motor and resistor, estimated repair costs are at $700. Thankfully, it isn't an emergency repair, but it's something more to think about.

Anyway, there you have it. Val and I are under a considerable amount of stress. If we can just keep it together until after Christmas....