Part II
Last week we went back down to the house to finish cleaning up and get it ready for our new renters. We left early Tuesday morning and got there a little after ten. Jennifer came with us, which was a huge help. It was good to have an extra set of hands to clean and help watch the baby.
We started with the kitchen. Jennifer scrubbed the freezer and then started on the stove. Little did she know that would be a 3 day project. Who knows the last time it actually got cleaned. I started on the microwave. I'm still not sure how it took me so long to clean such a small space. Jake started by patching all the holes in the walls.
I'll skip all the little details but lets just say I had never been so thankful for gloves and having worked in housekeeping for almost 5 years.
I am so proud of Jake. He painted the entire house in 1 day. He steam cleaned all the tile and ripped out all the carpet. He is such a hard worker. I'm so thankful to be married to a man who knows how to work hard and get the job done.
Jennifer was supposed to be back to work on Thursday but lets just say I had a little bit of a meltdown when we went back to the hotel to pack up on Wednesday night. We had so much left to do and I felt horrible having to leave Jake there to finish. I was also having a hard time dealing with the fact that Jake and I have been together almost 4 years and since about June of 2007 we have not been apart over night. I was going to have to drive back without him, unpack without him, go to bed without him, and wake up without him. My anxiety level was a little high and Jennifer decided my sanity was a little more important than work. I'm so grateful for that because even thinking about it now I know I would have lost it if we had left that night.
We did leave Thursday afternoon, before Jake but knowing he was only a few hours behind me I was OK. The carpet came in that day and I couldn't be in the house with the baby so there was really nothing else I could do.
Jake said he felt like he was on a home make over show where they finish at just the last minute. The family moving in were still driving and wouldn't get there til late so someone in their family agreed to get the keys from Jake. Whoever it was was had seen the house before we started cleaning and Jake said they were in shock with how amazing it looked.
After all our hard work we're really just hoping it pays off. We need good renters who pay rent and I think we might actually have that now. (Fingers crossed) Now if we could just get the $2000 from the people who still owe us. (That's not including the $3000 owed from our first tenant. We have pretty much just decided we aren't ever getting that.)
Do Not Become A Landlord If You Don't Absolutely Have To
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
You Forgot Your...Thingy!
Our day went like this...
In the hotel room>
"Jake, I'm being serious here. I need you to try your very hardest to remain calm."
"I know, I am expecting the worst so I'll be ok."
Drives over to the house> "Try not to punch any walls either, it wont help, you know."
Opens front door>
"Oh. My. Gosh."
Jake filming with our home camera>
"Oh, gross. Don't breathe." "This is nasty!"
Pan of living room> Pee stained carpets. Trash bags strewn about the room, trash falling out. A couch in the middle of the room. The arm rests are destroyed and there is 'couch fluff' everywhere. The cushions are all crooked. A lone side table. A large, older model, TV in front of the couch. Uneven blinds that are scratched and broken from the dog scratching and biting at them. A tall bookshelf full of random items.
"Those blinds used to look nice."
Walk into the dining room and kitchen. Jake opens the fridge>
"Close it! Ah! What did you do that for? Are you trying to kill me? Its bad enough with the dog pee smell."
"Yeah, my bad."
Walks out to patio after struggling to get the sliding door open.
"Pretty sure that handle wasn't broken last time we were here."
"Is that...?"
"Yes, that's a pile of dog poop."
Pan of patio> The built in barbeque (luckily still in tact). The garden, complete with poo piles, empty beer cans, an upside down lawn chair, and trash. An old futon bed. A Gatorade sales container. A rug. 3 half full trash cans and a dust pan.
Return inside house and venture up the stained, trash covered stairs. Bed room #1>
"Oh look, another TV."
"Sweet. And a basketball."
Pan of bedroom #2>
Lone mattress and body pillow. Small shelving unit with lamp. Large mirror. One yellow hanger and a trucker's hat in the closet. A pile of wires and a few pens.
Into bathroom >
"You know, the bathrooms not that bad. Not as bad as I thought anyway."
"Well they obviously didn't use Any of those cleaning supplies on the toilet tank."
Stepping over dirty towels in the hall way to see the laundry room, complete with 6 boxes of dryer sheets, a bottle of bleach, some powdered detergent, a red silk table cloth on the dryer top and lint piles and used dryer sheets everywhere.
"Yuck. We're going to have to clean the washer."
Bedroom #3
"Ewe."
"Well they left a dresser…sort of."
"Yeah...."
Walking back down stairs>
"OK, here's what we do. We get gloves and black bags and just start getting all the trash out."
"And smell good stuff. We Need smell good stuff. "
Go to store. Cart has the following: paper towels, bleach wipes, bleach spray, gloves, black bags, two spray air fresheners, toilet paper.>
Back at the house. Jake begins spraying the house with air freshener while Alyssa opens and puts on the gloves. Jake tackles the fridge and Alyssa starts filling trash bags.
A few of the treasures found throughout the day:
Canned food storage.
An empty vodka bottle.
A fishing real.
DVD player.
Box for a hookah glass.
Green, lace bra.
Numerous hygiene supplies.
Unopened Mary Kay products.
Blankets.
Towels.
Iron and ironing board.
Stray dishes.
Candles.
A scale.
Kitchen utensils.
Dog toys.
And all of the previously mentioned items plus some unmentionable items.
After filling an entire truck with a load of garbage and cleaning constantly, it still looks untouched.
And now we are on our way home from our lovely house in St. George. We will be returning next week to replace carpet, paint the walls and finish cleaning so that it is ready for our new renters. A nice family of 5 who has already paid the deposit and doesn't seem to have a problem with paying the rent. They aren't students who party and don't have a job and don't care how the place they live looks and don't care if they rack up late fees for not paying rent. They don't leave their dogs home alone for days and then complain to us that it is so dirty its unlivable. Since when is it the landlord's job to clean the house? I guess it wasn't enough that we have fixed the AC, heater, washer and dryer, replaced the fridge and water heater. Fixed the toilet and 2 doors. Got the carpets cleaned before they moved in. And put up with them!!!
Being a landlord is not fun in any way, shape, or form.
Look for "Part Two" after next week.
"Those blinds used to look nice."
Walk into the dining room and kitchen. Jake opens the fridge>
"Close it! Ah! What did you do that for? Are you trying to kill me? Its bad enough with the dog pee smell."
"Yeah, my bad."
Walks out to patio after struggling to get the sliding door open.
"Pretty sure that handle wasn't broken last time we were here."
"Is that...?"
"Yes, that's a pile of dog poop."
Pan of patio> The built in barbeque (luckily still in tact). The garden, complete with poo piles, empty beer cans, an upside down lawn chair, and trash. An old futon bed. A Gatorade sales container. A rug. 3 half full trash cans and a dust pan.
Return inside house and venture up the stained, trash covered stairs. Bed room #1>
"Oh look, another TV."
"Sweet. And a basketball."
Pan of bedroom #2>
Lone mattress and body pillow. Small shelving unit with lamp. Large mirror. One yellow hanger and a trucker's hat in the closet. A pile of wires and a few pens.
Into bathroom >
"You know, the bathrooms not that bad. Not as bad as I thought anyway."
"Well they obviously didn't use Any of those cleaning supplies on the toilet tank."
Stepping over dirty towels in the hall way to see the laundry room, complete with 6 boxes of dryer sheets, a bottle of bleach, some powdered detergent, a red silk table cloth on the dryer top and lint piles and used dryer sheets everywhere.
"Yuck. We're going to have to clean the washer."
Bedroom #3
"Ewe."
"Well they left a dresser…sort of."
"Yeah...."
Walking back down stairs>
"OK, here's what we do. We get gloves and black bags and just start getting all the trash out."
"And smell good stuff. We Need smell good stuff. "
Go to store. Cart has the following: paper towels, bleach wipes, bleach spray, gloves, black bags, two spray air fresheners, toilet paper.>
Back at the house. Jake begins spraying the house with air freshener while Alyssa opens and puts on the gloves. Jake tackles the fridge and Alyssa starts filling trash bags.
A few of the treasures found throughout the day:
Canned food storage.
An empty vodka bottle.
A fishing real.
DVD player.
Box for a hookah glass.
Green, lace bra.
Numerous hygiene supplies.
Unopened Mary Kay products.
Blankets.
Towels.
Iron and ironing board.
Stray dishes.
Candles.
A scale.
Kitchen utensils.
Dog toys.
And all of the previously mentioned items plus some unmentionable items.
After filling an entire truck with a load of garbage and cleaning constantly, it still looks untouched.
And now we are on our way home from our lovely house in St. George. We will be returning next week to replace carpet, paint the walls and finish cleaning so that it is ready for our new renters. A nice family of 5 who has already paid the deposit and doesn't seem to have a problem with paying the rent. They aren't students who party and don't have a job and don't care how the place they live looks and don't care if they rack up late fees for not paying rent. They don't leave their dogs home alone for days and then complain to us that it is so dirty its unlivable. Since when is it the landlord's job to clean the house? I guess it wasn't enough that we have fixed the AC, heater, washer and dryer, replaced the fridge and water heater. Fixed the toilet and 2 doors. Got the carpets cleaned before they moved in. And put up with them!!!
Being a landlord is not fun in any way, shape, or form.
Look for "Part Two" after next week.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
*untitled*
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
(and baby all I need for you to know is)
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
All I need for you to know is
Your faith in me brings me to tears
Even after all these years
And it pains me so much to tell
That you don't know me that well
And though my love is rare
Though my love is true
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
(and baby all I need for you to know is)
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
(and baby all I need for you to know is)
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
All I need for you to know is
Your faith in me brings me to tears
Even after all these years
And it pains me so much to tell
That you don't know me that well
And though my love is rare
Though my love is true
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
(and baby all I need for you to know is)
I'm like a bird, I only fly away
I don't know where my soul is,
I don't know where my home is
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Let's Save Our Hallmark Moment...
F.R.I.E.N.D.
There are real friends. The ones you actually talk to and see in person on a regular basis. The ones you actually like hanging out with and even though you always have a good time hanging out, they aren't close enough to be called your "best friends".
There are friends-of-friends. These are the friends who you get along with and don't mind hanging out with but you probably wouldn't just call them up to hang out one-on-one. You only hang out when you all get together with the friend you met them through.
There are acquaintance's. People you know from other friends or family. You know, your cousin's boyfriend or your sisters best friend. People you have talked to once or twice but you wouldn't really call them a "friend".
Then you have the people you went to school with, worked with, and people who go to your same church. These people could be called friends but if people ask, you usually refer to them as "a girl I work with/went to school with/go to church with".
There are old friends. The ones you grew up with and even though you have both changed so much you can't stand each other you can't help but remember the good times so you keep in touch.
There are online friends, who you met in a chat room or randomly added you on Facebook or Myspace. People you have never actually met in person but seem pretty cool online.
There is family. People that are actually related to you so you would call them your cousin/sister/brother/etc. but they are still cool enough to hang out with, or you want to keep in touch so you keep them on your Facebook.
There are the "ex's" who you are either friends with either because you really are (not likely truthful) or you just get along and don't mind remaining in contact with...or you just want to keep tabs on them.
There are the "you're not really my friend or any of the above mentioned but I'm a nice person so I'll pretend I like you". Which is pretty self-explanatory.
There are people you used to be friends with but then something happened like a stupid fight or someone "dissed" the other one so you're mad at each other but both too stubborn to admit you're fighting or one of you was in the wrong. So you remain enough in contact with them (whether it be a phone number you just can't delete from your phone or a friend you can't delete off Facebook).
There are probably a lot of other sub-categories for friends but I think I've covered the basics. So next time someone calls you friend or you say someone is your friend...do they really mean it? What do they really mean?
What does it mean? What is it? There are a lot of different kinds of "friends". It's a little crazy, really. Looking at my Facebook I realized I have quite the variety of "friends".
There are your best friends. You know, the one or two people you actually call your best friends. The ones who are always there for you. You can talk to them about anything and everything. You know each other so well you could be relatives and you hope you will always be best friends.
There are real friends. The ones you actually talk to and see in person on a regular basis. The ones you actually like hanging out with and even though you always have a good time hanging out, they aren't close enough to be called your "best friends".
There are friends-of-friends. These are the friends who you get along with and don't mind hanging out with but you probably wouldn't just call them up to hang out one-on-one. You only hang out when you all get together with the friend you met them through.
There are acquaintance's. People you know from other friends or family. You know, your cousin's boyfriend or your sisters best friend. People you have talked to once or twice but you wouldn't really call them a "friend".
Then you have the people you went to school with, worked with, and people who go to your same church. These people could be called friends but if people ask, you usually refer to them as "a girl I work with/went to school with/go to church with".
There are old friends. The ones you grew up with and even though you have both changed so much you can't stand each other you can't help but remember the good times so you keep in touch.
There are online friends, who you met in a chat room or randomly added you on Facebook or Myspace. People you have never actually met in person but seem pretty cool online.
There is family. People that are actually related to you so you would call them your cousin/sister/brother/etc. but they are still cool enough to hang out with, or you want to keep in touch so you keep them on your Facebook.
There are the "ex's" who you are either friends with either because you really are (not likely truthful) or you just get along and don't mind remaining in contact with...or you just want to keep tabs on them.
There are the "you're not really my friend or any of the above mentioned but I'm a nice person so I'll pretend I like you". Which is pretty self-explanatory.
There are people you used to be friends with but then something happened like a stupid fight or someone "dissed" the other one so you're mad at each other but both too stubborn to admit you're fighting or one of you was in the wrong. So you remain enough in contact with them (whether it be a phone number you just can't delete from your phone or a friend you can't delete off Facebook).
There are probably a lot of other sub-categories for friends but I think I've covered the basics. So next time someone calls you friend or you say someone is your friend...do they really mean it? What do they really mean?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
By noon or one...by 1:37 exactly!!
I'm a little bit ocd and a lot-a-bit a perfectionist. Everyone has their own weird little quirks but last night, while making my dinner, I realized I might have more than most. Just while making a simple scrambled egg sandwich I found 8 things that I have to do.
1- the eggs have to be completely cooked. I don't like them runny at all.
2- no white parts in the egg. I like my eggs completely mixed together so I don't have to eat just the white parts.
3- I'm afraid of the crumbs in the butter. I can't put butter with even a couple crumbs in it on my toast, it freaks me out.
4- my bread/toast cannot touch the counter. Even if I just washed it. Has to be on a plate!
5- I like my egg sandwiches cut down the middle but every other sandwich I like diagonally.
6- I only drink milk with egg sandwiches. Anything else would be weird.
7-I can't reuse my glass. It can be refilled with milk but even if I rinse it out I don't think I could drink anything else out of it. If the glass had water in it and then later I needed another drink I would have to rinse it out twice. Once is not good enough. (Jake learned this one pretty quick and now is so sweet to always rinse my glass twice.)
8- I have to look at and carefully inspect the food before it goes into my mouth. No surprises. I actually realized this one more tonight while watching Jake eat rocky road ice cream. He just scoops and eats while being completely focused on the TV. I could never do that. When I pointed out to him that this seemed crazy to me, not knowing what goes into his mouth, he responded with "and need I remind you about the crumbs?" Yes, I fear crumbs, ok!
8 'weird' things that associate with one meal. Sad really. I could probably go on for days about all my little quirks but just for fun I'll list a few more that I have.
- my hangers have to be ALL white. No wire. No color. No wood. White.
-my clothes are in color order in my closet. (I'm learning to be ok when Jake puts them in the wrong spot. I'm just thankful my husband does laundry. I really can't complain.)
- my slippers might as well be my security blankets. You know when you were a kid and used to play "hot lava" by standing on the furniture and pillows and not touching the actual floor? Well kitchen tile might as well be "hot lava" because I refuse to walk on it without slippers, or at least socks. (Jake thinks its funny to leave me stranded in a room by stealing my slippers.)
- I don't push carts. Unless I have to. But I Hate pushing carts. They are gross for one but mostly I hate pushing them because its like driving a car on roads with no rules and other people can hear you if you yell at them for pulling out in front of you. I hate driving because of stupid people and I hate pushing carts even more because of stupid people.
1- the eggs have to be completely cooked. I don't like them runny at all.
2- no white parts in the egg. I like my eggs completely mixed together so I don't have to eat just the white parts.
3- I'm afraid of the crumbs in the butter. I can't put butter with even a couple crumbs in it on my toast, it freaks me out.
4- my bread/toast cannot touch the counter. Even if I just washed it. Has to be on a plate!
5- I like my egg sandwiches cut down the middle but every other sandwich I like diagonally.
6- I only drink milk with egg sandwiches. Anything else would be weird.
7-I can't reuse my glass. It can be refilled with milk but even if I rinse it out I don't think I could drink anything else out of it. If the glass had water in it and then later I needed another drink I would have to rinse it out twice. Once is not good enough. (Jake learned this one pretty quick and now is so sweet to always rinse my glass twice.)
8- I have to look at and carefully inspect the food before it goes into my mouth. No surprises. I actually realized this one more tonight while watching Jake eat rocky road ice cream. He just scoops and eats while being completely focused on the TV. I could never do that. When I pointed out to him that this seemed crazy to me, not knowing what goes into his mouth, he responded with "and need I remind you about the crumbs?" Yes, I fear crumbs, ok!
8 'weird' things that associate with one meal. Sad really. I could probably go on for days about all my little quirks but just for fun I'll list a few more that I have.
- my hangers have to be ALL white. No wire. No color. No wood. White.
-my clothes are in color order in my closet. (I'm learning to be ok when Jake puts them in the wrong spot. I'm just thankful my husband does laundry. I really can't complain.)
- my slippers might as well be my security blankets. You know when you were a kid and used to play "hot lava" by standing on the furniture and pillows and not touching the actual floor? Well kitchen tile might as well be "hot lava" because I refuse to walk on it without slippers, or at least socks. (Jake thinks its funny to leave me stranded in a room by stealing my slippers.)
- I don't push carts. Unless I have to. But I Hate pushing carts. They are gross for one but mostly I hate pushing them because its like driving a car on roads with no rules and other people can hear you if you yell at them for pulling out in front of you. I hate driving because of stupid people and I hate pushing carts even more because of stupid people.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
What are these, caffine pills?
I couldn't sleep last night
My ears were ringing in my head
Best friends with the boogey man I may be better off here dead
I'm running on empty once again
Too tired for tears I dread
Sink deep into those magic dreams
While I blast off in my bed
And you know I've played it all in here
Where everyone hides their darkest shades of fears
And I threw my whole night down the drain
You know 'cause everyone says that I'm not the same
Since I changed my name
Three hours later and I'm staring at the ceiling still
Xanax does nothing more than calm the sleeping thrill
Turning the pillows round and round to find the cold spot for my head
Ah, bless my only friend
And you know I've played it all in here
Where everyone hides their darkest shades of fears
And I threw my whole night down the drain
You know 'cause everyone says that I'm not the same
And everyone turns tricks for fickle fame I feel my body's lost control
My knees get weak as I drift away
And it gets darker, darker
Dreaming's where I am
My ears were ringing in my head
Best friends with the boogey man I may be better off here dead
I'm running on empty once again
Too tired for tears I dread
Sink deep into those magic dreams
While I blast off in my bed
And you know I've played it all in here
Where everyone hides their darkest shades of fears
And I threw my whole night down the drain
You know 'cause everyone says that I'm not the same
Since I changed my name
Three hours later and I'm staring at the ceiling still
Xanax does nothing more than calm the sleeping thrill
Turning the pillows round and round to find the cold spot for my head
Ah, bless my only friend
And you know I've played it all in here
Where everyone hides their darkest shades of fears
And I threw my whole night down the drain
You know 'cause everyone says that I'm not the same
And everyone turns tricks for fickle fame I feel my body's lost control
My knees get weak as I drift away
And it gets darker, darker
Dreaming's where I am
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
MIDNIGHT!
There's just no time anymore. No time for:
*blogging
*reading
*sleeping
*cleaning
*playing
and about a billion other things I want to do.
Ah, the joys of being a mom who works two jobs.
Yeah, I've got a little stress, but who doesn't? Being a mom isn't the easiest job in the world, but its also not the hardest. I LOVE being a mom. Love every single second of it. If I could pick one thing to do for the rest of my life it would be to be a mom. But being a mom comes with a lot of other responsibilities. Kids are expensive, for one. So as much as I hate it, I gotta work. Don't get me wrong, I love my jobs (one more than the other) but its hard to be away from my little buddy and its not very easy trying to take care of him at one of my jobs.
Lately, all of you Facebook -ers have probably noticed me being a little down. So let me open a little window as to why. And once again, I'm not looking for sympathy or anything. Just venting.
I'm a perfectionist. And although probably don't need to say anymore, let me elaborate. I like lists. I like schedules. I love plans and planning and I love it even more when things go to plan (who doesn't?). I like 8 hours of sleep and 3 square meals a day.
Now take all the things I love...and flush them down the toilet. I went from having a pretty good routine and being able to plan everyday in advance and the comfort and freedom of knowing how to do my job to two completely new jobs where I know very little. Once again I'm at the bottom of the totempole (how do you spell that?) at both of my new jobs and then lets throw a brand new baby into the mix. I have 2 days off. The one where Jake and I run all our errands and catch up on life and Sunday, where I catch up on sleep.
The moral of this story? Please don't worry if I seem a little "off". This new life is just taking some getting used to and eventually I'll be OK. But for now just know that I need to vent every once and awhile. (And as much as I wish it were all Just hormones and the doctor could just give me a pill and make it all better, its much, much more than that.) But I'm working on it and I know that I will eventually be OK with it all. But for now its OK to lose it a little every now and then.
*blogging
*reading
*sleeping
*cleaning
*playing
and about a billion other things I want to do.
Ah, the joys of being a mom who works two jobs.
Yeah, I've got a little stress, but who doesn't? Being a mom isn't the easiest job in the world, but its also not the hardest. I LOVE being a mom. Love every single second of it. If I could pick one thing to do for the rest of my life it would be to be a mom. But being a mom comes with a lot of other responsibilities. Kids are expensive, for one. So as much as I hate it, I gotta work. Don't get me wrong, I love my jobs (one more than the other) but its hard to be away from my little buddy and its not very easy trying to take care of him at one of my jobs.
Lately, all of you Facebook -ers have probably noticed me being a little down. So let me open a little window as to why. And once again, I'm not looking for sympathy or anything. Just venting.
I'm a perfectionist. And although probably don't need to say anymore, let me elaborate. I like lists. I like schedules. I love plans and planning and I love it even more when things go to plan (who doesn't?). I like 8 hours of sleep and 3 square meals a day.
Now take all the things I love...and flush them down the toilet. I went from having a pretty good routine and being able to plan everyday in advance and the comfort and freedom of knowing how to do my job to two completely new jobs where I know very little. Once again I'm at the bottom of the totempole (how do you spell that?) at both of my new jobs and then lets throw a brand new baby into the mix. I have 2 days off. The one where Jake and I run all our errands and catch up on life and Sunday, where I catch up on sleep.
The moral of this story? Please don't worry if I seem a little "off". This new life is just taking some getting used to and eventually I'll be OK. But for now just know that I need to vent every once and awhile. (And as much as I wish it were all Just hormones and the doctor could just give me a pill and make it all better, its much, much more than that.) But I'm working on it and I know that I will eventually be OK with it all. But for now its OK to lose it a little every now and then.
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