as i mentioned in this post, the house we are living in now isn't one we picked by choice. this is something that is difficult to deal with emotionally, considering the people that used to live here.
once they were kicked out of this house by the city, i thought i would never have to deal with them again. 10 months later, as we were packing up our house to move and 3 weeks before our wedding, there was a knock at the door around 9pm. had i been home alone, i would have ignored it, but jared answered the door and just like that, we were served.
the summons said that we were being sued by the previous tenants in small claims court for $7500. which, not coincidentally i'm sure, is the maximum amount that you can sue for in small claims court. this meant that if i counter sued for even $1, the case would get kicked into district court and lawyers would probably need to be involved. they were suing me for 2 things.
They claimed:
*they did not receive their deposit back
*they were forced to move and lost all of their belongings due to a mold problem
right away, i knew they didn't have a leg to stand on because:
*they never paid me a deposit
*they were forced to move by the city - the mold problem was remediated.
the court date was scheduled for a day that we were on our honeymoon. i kicked into high gear and got the court date changed and scheduled a meeting with an attorney. he mentioned to us that we were going through 3 of the 5 major stressors that can happen to people, all at once. getting married, selling a house/moving, and getting sued. great.
he gave me some good advice, but also left me with this statement.
if you plan to be a landlord for awhile, this won't be the first time you're sued.
like the nerd i am, i spent weeks googling what to expect in court and what to do and not to do. i gathered all documents and pictures i could find, made copies, and organized them in a binder. i prepared my opening speech and practiced it in front of jared. jared actually made fun of me, but i told him that we shouldn't underestimate these people. he was convinced that they would be completely unprepared, but i had a suspicion that this wasn't the first time they were involved in a lawsuit.
they day of the court date, we arrived 30 minutes early, prepared and dressed nicely. 30 minutes passed and the plaintiff still wasn't there. we held our breath, thinking maybe they wouldn't show up. the court told us that they would give them an extra 15 minutes. we were livid. if you can't show up on time to court, you shouldn't get extra time. sure enough, 10 minutes later, we see the door open, followed by a baby carrier and the plaintiff*.
before we could go in front of the judge, we were required to go through mediation. we met with mediators who told us that there was a $100 fee for the mediation. the plaintiff refused to pay it. the mediators tried to negotiate with her for about 20 minutes before they finally gave up and waived the fee.
after going over the details of the case, jared and i were a little worried about three things.
*even though she didn't pay a deposit to me, she paid one to the previous landlord that never transferred to me. i didn't know if that was my responsibility to have it transferred or not. if it was, i may be liable for 3x the deposit amount because even though they did not deserve to receive their deposit back, there was no letter sent to them itimizing the damages.
*we didn't know how the judge would react to the mold situation. even though i thought i did everything the right way (working with the insurance and a contractor to take care of the problem asap), maybe i was wrong?
*we didn't know if the judge will feel sorry for the plaintiff since she is clearly poor, has a lot of kids, and is not educated. versus us, who appear to be the opposite. i had never been in court before, so i didn't know if there was ever a bias in these type of situations.
things got pretty heated in the mediation and the mediators, even though they aren't allowed to give us legal advice, were strongly encouraging us to settle because of the mold issue. jared and i decided to offer them $1600, which was the amount of the deposit. they didn't accept it and wanted us to pay them $4500. we countered with $2000. they declined and we went in front of the judge.
the judge asked if we had any witnesses and the plaintiff named her daughter. i wasn't going to have a witness, but i decided to name jared. what i didn't know is that they would send the witnesses out of the room during most of the trial. so there i am, alone, scared and nervous at the defendant platform. we start the trial and i have to listen to the plaintiffs sob story for a good 45 minutes while i am not allowed to say anything. finally it's my turn to talk. i say my part about not being paid a deposit and show the judge the signed lease i had with "0" clearly written in the deposit line. the judge asks the plaintiff why she's not suing the previous landlord instead and immediately clears me of that charge.
right then i think, oh wow. maybe this WILL be cut and dry like it should be. i relaxed a bit and we got onto the mold issue. of course, i had all the documentation about how it was being remediated and the plaintiff had the option to move but they didn't want to. i also had the piece of evidence that i'm pretty sure the plaintiff wouldn't want me to show. i had the actual eviction notice from the city that said they were living in squalor and went into details about how they were feeding their dogs from the trash and there was a dead animal on the front porch, etc.
there were a few more details and we went back and forth and then the witnesses were called in and we went back and forth some more. finally the judge said that i had acted appropriately and done everything i could and none of it was my fault. she dismissed the case.
wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
that was one of the biggest rushes of my life.
it restored my faith in the judicial system.
and i was thrilled that our greedy tenant could have had $2000, but ended up with NOTHING. i would have liked to have sued them for the money it cost me to deal with this ($50 to the courts, $250 to the attorney, $12 for parking!), but there's no way i would have seen a dime from them even if i won the case. not worth it.
it also made me hyper aware of the risks of being a landlord. i am way more diligent about doing everything by the book, getting everything in writing, and covering all of my bases.
because i really don't want to have to go through that again. it was one of the most stressful times in my life. i couldn't even FULLY enjoy my honeymoon because the court date was looming over my head for when i returned.
i have faith that karma will catch up to these people. they've worked the system and other people for way too long. quite honesty, their lifestyle is probably punishment enough.
*there was not a time that i had ever NOT seen this lady pregnant. before they were kicked out, they had a baby and we didn't even know she was pregnant until after the baby was born. sure enough, she was pregnant again, bringing the grand total to 10 children and another one on the way. this is revolting to me on so many levels.
about me
- kt
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- i'm 33. i live with my husband, baby daughter 2 dogs and 1 kitty. i'm a chemical engineer with an MBA and work in technical sales. i tend to bite off more than i *think* i can chew and end up with a full bulging mouth for awhile before i can finally swallow. i thrive in chaos, but strive for order.
1.24.2011
1.16.2011
day 16 and be careful what you wish for
today is day 16 of phase 1 of the 17 day diet. i am so happy that we've stuck with it this long! i've been stalled at a 7lb loss for about a week, which is frustrating, but 7 lbs is still really good! it's doing a number on our social life though. we ran into some friends at the daniel tosh* show last night and felt like losers because we didn't want to go out with them after the show. going to a bar when you can't drink or eat anything is so hard that it's not even worth it. i'm not sure our friends understand.
we have 2 more days of this detox phase and then we can start adding in red meat, pork, shellfish, starchy veg, and some whole grains. i can't wait to have a steak and baked potato. i'm hoping that this will break my plateau. during this phase, we can also start working out more. i absolutely HATE HATE HATE running, but i have this sneaking suspicion that it might be the only exercise that will really work for me.. since i've tried everything else. i heard about this program called couch to 5 k, which is an app and helps you with the interval training. you start with running at 90 second intervals (which honestly, i'm not sure i can even do yet) alternating with 120 second walking intervals and then go from there. i think you can even put in customized music, but i'm not sure if that is a feature on the blackberry app version. i'm researching it today.
remember the other day when i was complaining that jared hadn't found a job yet? well, after 1 week of seriously looking, he found one! it's only $10/hr and he's driving a forklift all day, but it works with his schedule and he's qualified to do it. when he went in to fill out the application, it was obvious that although there were a lot of people applying, the competition wasn't that stiff. he has a professional demeanor and appearance, and so when he stuck around to talk to the owner about the position (for 45 minutes), i knew that he would get the job. sure enough, the guy called him the next day and he starts tomorrow.
i am a little sad because he will be working from 7am-3:30pm M-F and then he has to leave for class at 5:30 and gets home around 10. that is a LONG day. but he is willing to do it, which makes me happy. he's always been a hard worker when procrastination is not an option. i think it will give him some much needed time management skills. and i've been wanting to cancel our cable for awhile (it's just not worth $75/month to me - especially with netflix and hulu - there are so many other things i need to do besides zoning out to some stupid show).
it's really going to suck not seeing him though. i know we were spending too much time together, but this just seems like the other extreme! it's only temporary though, so i know we'll get through it.
*how can someone be so insulting and so HOT at the same time? mmmm.. i heart him!
we have 2 more days of this detox phase and then we can start adding in red meat, pork, shellfish, starchy veg, and some whole grains. i can't wait to have a steak and baked potato. i'm hoping that this will break my plateau. during this phase, we can also start working out more. i absolutely HATE HATE HATE running, but i have this sneaking suspicion that it might be the only exercise that will really work for me.. since i've tried everything else. i heard about this program called couch to 5 k, which is an app and helps you with the interval training. you start with running at 90 second intervals (which honestly, i'm not sure i can even do yet) alternating with 120 second walking intervals and then go from there. i think you can even put in customized music, but i'm not sure if that is a feature on the blackberry app version. i'm researching it today.
remember the other day when i was complaining that jared hadn't found a job yet? well, after 1 week of seriously looking, he found one! it's only $10/hr and he's driving a forklift all day, but it works with his schedule and he's qualified to do it. when he went in to fill out the application, it was obvious that although there were a lot of people applying, the competition wasn't that stiff. he has a professional demeanor and appearance, and so when he stuck around to talk to the owner about the position (for 45 minutes), i knew that he would get the job. sure enough, the guy called him the next day and he starts tomorrow.
i am a little sad because he will be working from 7am-3:30pm M-F and then he has to leave for class at 5:30 and gets home around 10. that is a LONG day. but he is willing to do it, which makes me happy. he's always been a hard worker when procrastination is not an option. i think it will give him some much needed time management skills. and i've been wanting to cancel our cable for awhile (it's just not worth $75/month to me - especially with netflix and hulu - there are so many other things i need to do besides zoning out to some stupid show).
it's really going to suck not seeing him though. i know we were spending too much time together, but this just seems like the other extreme! it's only temporary though, so i know we'll get through it.
*how can someone be so insulting and so HOT at the same time? mmmm.. i heart him!
1.15.2011
an analogy
for me and jared, trying to have a baby is a lot like trying to sell a house.
selling a house
when you first put your house on the market, you think you're going to sell it right away. it's for sale, you have showings, OF COURSE it will sell.
trying to conceive
when you decide to have a baby, you think you'll get pregnant right away. you're having unprotected sex, OF COURSE you'll get pregnant.
selling a house
the first month goes by and you've had several showings each week, but no offfers. that's ok, sometimes it takes a little while.
trying to conceive
the first month goes by and you've had sex several times each week, but no baby. that's ok, sometimes it takes a little while.
selling a house
three months go by and you don't have an offer. even though you have showings and those showings are perfect. you clean really well and stage the house perfectly. you burn scented candles. you leave a bowl of candy out for your potential buyers. you leave soothing classical music playing during the showing. you start to get a little worried.
trying to conceive
three months go by and you aren't pregnant. even though you have sex when you're ovulating. you abstain from alcohol and take prenatal vitamins and your husband wears loose boxers. you start to get a little worried.
selling a house
five months go by and you start researching "how long is an average house on the market". you read a lot of things that calm you and terrify you at the same time. you realize that some people sell the first week of being on the market, and for others it takes years. you keep doing what you think is right, but you become obsessed. it's all you and your husband talk about.
trying to conceive
five months go by and you start researching "how long does it take the average couple to get pregnant". you read a lot of things that calm you and terrify you at the same time. you realize that some people will get pregnant the first week of trying, and for others it takes years. you keep doing what you think is right, but you become obsessed. it's all you and your husband talk about.
selling a house
several more months go by and you start wondering what else you can do. you try not to get your hopes up for each showing but are still disappointed when you don't get an offer. you start getting irritated at well-meaning friends and family that keep telling you to "give it time, it will happen". then, OMG, you FINALLY get an offer and you're over the moon happy and you feel like all is right in the world. and it falls through.
trying to conceive
several more months go by and you start wondering what else you can do. you try not to get your hopes up every month but are still disappointed when you get your period. you start getting irritated at well-meaning friends and family that keep telling you to "give it time, it will happen". then, OMG, you FINALLY skip a period and you're over the moon happy and you feel like all is right in the world. and then it arrives a week late.
selling a house
more months go by and you start to get depressed. you wonder how you'll be able to live the life you dreamed of if you never sell the house. you are stressed about it and cannot relax, no matter how many well-intentioned people tell you to. you are annoyed with people who had no problem selling their house. you are especially annoyed with people who didn't even want to sell their house, yet someone offered to buy it. you wonder if you waited too long to sell you house and it will be impossible in this market. you go to your realtor and say "what is wrong with my house? is it fixable? is it unsellable?" you buy a statue of st. joseph and plant it in your yard and say a prayer because you figure it can't hurt.
trying to conceive
more months go by and you start to get depressed. you wonder how you'll be able to live the life you dreamed of if you never have children. you are stressed about it and cannot relax, no matter how many well-intentioned people tell you to. you are annoyed with people who had no problem getting pregnant. you are especially annoyed with people who didn't even want to become pregnant, and got knocked up accidentally. you wonder if you waited too long to try to have a baby and if it will be impossible because you are too old. you go to your doctor and say "what is wrong with us? is it fixable? are we infertile?" you buy a thermometer and chart your basal body temperature because you figure it can't hurt.
selling a house
just when you've resigned yourself to the fact that maybe you weren't meant to sell your house right now and you start to think that you can stay in that house for a little while longer, you get a frantic call from your realtor who tells you that the most perfect first time homebuyers LOVE LOVE LOVE your house and they are heading back to the office RIGHT NOW to make an offer. you close and move out and well after the fact you think to yourself "i can't believe i was so worried.. of COURSE we would sell the house! i can't believe we were so impatient.. these things take time."
trying to conceive
and this is where i can't continue the analogy.. because we are still not pregnant. but this is what i really hope will finally happen to us - and when we look back on everything, we'll wish we hadn't stressed ourselves out so much because these things totally take time. we still have 4 more months before we hit the year mark and will be considered for having fertility problems. i'm hoping we don't make it to that point.. but if we do we'll figure it out then.
selling a house
when you first put your house on the market, you think you're going to sell it right away. it's for sale, you have showings, OF COURSE it will sell.
trying to conceive
when you decide to have a baby, you think you'll get pregnant right away. you're having unprotected sex, OF COURSE you'll get pregnant.
selling a house
the first month goes by and you've had several showings each week, but no offfers. that's ok, sometimes it takes a little while.
trying to conceive
the first month goes by and you've had sex several times each week, but no baby. that's ok, sometimes it takes a little while.
selling a house
three months go by and you don't have an offer. even though you have showings and those showings are perfect. you clean really well and stage the house perfectly. you burn scented candles. you leave a bowl of candy out for your potential buyers. you leave soothing classical music playing during the showing. you start to get a little worried.
trying to conceive
three months go by and you aren't pregnant. even though you have sex when you're ovulating. you abstain from alcohol and take prenatal vitamins and your husband wears loose boxers. you start to get a little worried.
selling a house
five months go by and you start researching "how long is an average house on the market". you read a lot of things that calm you and terrify you at the same time. you realize that some people sell the first week of being on the market, and for others it takes years. you keep doing what you think is right, but you become obsessed. it's all you and your husband talk about.
trying to conceive
five months go by and you start researching "how long does it take the average couple to get pregnant". you read a lot of things that calm you and terrify you at the same time. you realize that some people will get pregnant the first week of trying, and for others it takes years. you keep doing what you think is right, but you become obsessed. it's all you and your husband talk about.
selling a house
several more months go by and you start wondering what else you can do. you try not to get your hopes up for each showing but are still disappointed when you don't get an offer. you start getting irritated at well-meaning friends and family that keep telling you to "give it time, it will happen". then, OMG, you FINALLY get an offer and you're over the moon happy and you feel like all is right in the world. and it falls through.
trying to conceive
several more months go by and you start wondering what else you can do. you try not to get your hopes up every month but are still disappointed when you get your period. you start getting irritated at well-meaning friends and family that keep telling you to "give it time, it will happen". then, OMG, you FINALLY skip a period and you're over the moon happy and you feel like all is right in the world. and then it arrives a week late.
selling a house
more months go by and you start to get depressed. you wonder how you'll be able to live the life you dreamed of if you never sell the house. you are stressed about it and cannot relax, no matter how many well-intentioned people tell you to. you are annoyed with people who had no problem selling their house. you are especially annoyed with people who didn't even want to sell their house, yet someone offered to buy it. you wonder if you waited too long to sell you house and it will be impossible in this market. you go to your realtor and say "what is wrong with my house? is it fixable? is it unsellable?" you buy a statue of st. joseph and plant it in your yard and say a prayer because you figure it can't hurt.
trying to conceive
more months go by and you start to get depressed. you wonder how you'll be able to live the life you dreamed of if you never have children. you are stressed about it and cannot relax, no matter how many well-intentioned people tell you to. you are annoyed with people who had no problem getting pregnant. you are especially annoyed with people who didn't even want to become pregnant, and got knocked up accidentally. you wonder if you waited too long to try to have a baby and if it will be impossible because you are too old. you go to your doctor and say "what is wrong with us? is it fixable? are we infertile?" you buy a thermometer and chart your basal body temperature because you figure it can't hurt.
selling a house
just when you've resigned yourself to the fact that maybe you weren't meant to sell your house right now and you start to think that you can stay in that house for a little while longer, you get a frantic call from your realtor who tells you that the most perfect first time homebuyers LOVE LOVE LOVE your house and they are heading back to the office RIGHT NOW to make an offer. you close and move out and well after the fact you think to yourself "i can't believe i was so worried.. of COURSE we would sell the house! i can't believe we were so impatient.. these things take time."
trying to conceive
and this is where i can't continue the analogy.. because we are still not pregnant. but this is what i really hope will finally happen to us - and when we look back on everything, we'll wish we hadn't stressed ourselves out so much because these things totally take time. we still have 4 more months before we hit the year mark and will be considered for having fertility problems. i'm hoping we don't make it to that point.. but if we do we'll figure it out then.
1.14.2011
crafty goodness
i found out about this through lori's blog. here's how it works:
the first 5 people who leave a comment will get a homemade goodie from me. in turn, they must commit to doing the same thing on their blog. have fun!
the first 5 people who leave a comment will get a homemade goodie from me. in turn, they must commit to doing the same thing on their blog. have fun!
the vortex
here's the picture i promised.
right now we are using it for storage. when we finally get the money, it will be a beautiful 1000 sq ft with a master suite (including 5 piece bath and walk in closet), study, and tv room. i'm hoping this happens within the next 2 years.
right now we are using it for storage. when we finally get the money, it will be a beautiful 1000 sq ft with a master suite (including 5 piece bath and walk in closet), study, and tv room. i'm hoping this happens within the next 2 years.
1.11.2011
heating the vortex
our electric/gas bill came in the mail today. it was $171.18. i am trying to figure out how it is so high, considering that we keep the house between 60-65 degrees and it has been a relatively warm winter. right now i am in fleece pj pants, a long sleeve t, slippers, and a heavy duty fleece robe and i am still freezing.
i know it's because we are heating 2000 sq feet of house. but since we're really only living in 1000 sq feet of house, it doesn't feel like our bill should be twice what i'm used to.
lost yet?
i haven't mentioned this house to the extent of it's importance in our lives, because it is the bane of my existence. besides the wedding, it was my main topic of conversation in 2010 and i'm a little OVER it, but i will try my best to get you caught up on the story.
the house we are currently living in is a house i bought for the sole purpose of renting it and then eventually selling it. it was purchased approximately 2 months before the housing market crashed. luckily it was rented out to section 8 tenants, which meant that my mortgage was paid by the government each month. things were great for a little while and then theasshole guy that was managing the property for me went crazy and decided that he didn't have to pay the mortgage anymore and we should all buy gold and move to the mountains and live off the grid. so my mortgage wasn't getting paid and i decided that i had to take over the management of the properties (yes, i had two with him - one is currently rented to college kids) and became a landlord overnight. fun.
so i became a landlord and i thought i should get to know my tenants. they. were. AWFUL. 11 people living in this house like pigs. breaking everything. crap overflowing out of the house. way too many chihuahuas. flies. *shudder*
we had to come over every month to pick up their portion of the rent ($126 - the city payed $1474) and hated it. these people were the definition of "taking advantage of the system". the husband worked under the table, the mom was pregnant 24/7, and they were on welfare. besides continually having children to get more money, they had: cell phones, internet, cable, elitches (6 flags) season passes for ALL of their kids, and there were always empty papa johns pizza boxes piled high on the front porch. j and i both have jobs and even WE don't regularly splurge on the expensive take out pizza.
one time when we were over there fixing something, one of their kids was bugging us and hanging on the towel bar in the bathroom, which of course broke. i looked at him incredulously and said "stop it! you just broke the towel bar!" to which he nonchalantly replied, "oh that's ok, someone will fix it". to which i replied, "yeah! that someone is ME!".
these people always had run ins with the neighbors and cops and i knew they were bad tenants and i didn't like being a slumlord, but if we kicked them out, we would have to find a bunch of money we didn't have to fix up the place before we could get new renters in. so we just let it be and buried our heads in the sand.
over the next year, we had to deal with a mold problem in the basement which involved insurance companies and unsavory contractors. a normal tenant might be a little concerned and ask to break their lease due to the mold, which i would, of course, allowed. but seeing as though these people had been kicked out of 10 houses over the last 10 years, they didn't want to leave.
in july of 2009, i received a phone call from the tenant, crying about how the city was making her move. the next day, i received a call from the city telling me that they were evicting my tenants for......drum roll please...
living in squalor (!)
yes, that is actually what was written on the eviction notice.
they moved out, we freaked out about having an vacant house and two mortgage payments, and had a few months of not knowing what to do. we finally came up with the plan to put our current house on the market (the one i bought in 2005 that i loved dearly but really was too small) and then use any money we made on that house to fix up the vacant rental and live in it. because it was bigger and would be a more appropriate house for when we started a family.
we put our house on the market in oct 2009 and after 80+ showings, finally sold it in may 2010. we also made $24k, which doesn't go as far as you think when you're having to completely gut a 2000 sq ft house. in fact, it really only gets you about 80% of 1000 sq ft.
then we made really smart decisions, like letting jared quit his (high paying) job to go back to school and were reduced to a single income family.
it wouldn't be so bad if the basement was just old and needed updating. but due to the mold problems, the entire basement was removed. all the floor. all the drywall. all the fixtures. everything. then a french drain was installed to control the water-table problem. and a bunch of gravel was shoveled in. and all the windows were replaced (since we did all the upstairs ones too). and then, with $8k still sitting in escrow with the mortgage company, everything was halted because we ran out of money and we don't have the $5k required to pour the new basement floor and install the rough in plumbing.
i call it the vortex. i will take a picture soon and post it.
right now the upstairs of the house is livable. it's not pretty or finished, but we have working appliances and essential things like doors*. here is a partial list of the things we still have to do, just so you can get the picture.
a year after the house was vacant, you'd think that we would never have to deal with those tenants again. that's what i thought too. until i was served** and notified that they were suing me in small claims court for $7500. more on that story later.
*we did not have interior doors for about 6 weeks. no bathroom door does not a happy marriage make.
**one month before our wedding, because apparently i didn't have enough going on and had plenty of time to hire attorneys and reschedule court dates and file replies and all other sorts of legal-y stuff.
i know it's because we are heating 2000 sq feet of house. but since we're really only living in 1000 sq feet of house, it doesn't feel like our bill should be twice what i'm used to.
lost yet?
i haven't mentioned this house to the extent of it's importance in our lives, because it is the bane of my existence. besides the wedding, it was my main topic of conversation in 2010 and i'm a little OVER it, but i will try my best to get you caught up on the story.
the house we are currently living in is a house i bought for the sole purpose of renting it and then eventually selling it. it was purchased approximately 2 months before the housing market crashed. luckily it was rented out to section 8 tenants, which meant that my mortgage was paid by the government each month. things were great for a little while and then the
so i became a landlord and i thought i should get to know my tenants. they. were. AWFUL. 11 people living in this house like pigs. breaking everything. crap overflowing out of the house. way too many chihuahuas. flies. *shudder*
we had to come over every month to pick up their portion of the rent ($126 - the city payed $1474) and hated it. these people were the definition of "taking advantage of the system". the husband worked under the table, the mom was pregnant 24/7, and they were on welfare. besides continually having children to get more money, they had: cell phones, internet, cable, elitches (6 flags) season passes for ALL of their kids, and there were always empty papa johns pizza boxes piled high on the front porch. j and i both have jobs and even WE don't regularly splurge on the expensive take out pizza.
one time when we were over there fixing something, one of their kids was bugging us and hanging on the towel bar in the bathroom, which of course broke. i looked at him incredulously and said "stop it! you just broke the towel bar!" to which he nonchalantly replied, "oh that's ok, someone will fix it". to which i replied, "yeah! that someone is ME!".
these people always had run ins with the neighbors and cops and i knew they were bad tenants and i didn't like being a slumlord, but if we kicked them out, we would have to find a bunch of money we didn't have to fix up the place before we could get new renters in. so we just let it be and buried our heads in the sand.
over the next year, we had to deal with a mold problem in the basement which involved insurance companies and unsavory contractors. a normal tenant might be a little concerned and ask to break their lease due to the mold, which i would, of course, allowed. but seeing as though these people had been kicked out of 10 houses over the last 10 years, they didn't want to leave.
in july of 2009, i received a phone call from the tenant, crying about how the city was making her move. the next day, i received a call from the city telling me that they were evicting my tenants for......drum roll please...
living in squalor (!)
yes, that is actually what was written on the eviction notice.
they moved out, we freaked out about having an vacant house and two mortgage payments, and had a few months of not knowing what to do. we finally came up with the plan to put our current house on the market (the one i bought in 2005 that i loved dearly but really was too small) and then use any money we made on that house to fix up the vacant rental and live in it. because it was bigger and would be a more appropriate house for when we started a family.
we put our house on the market in oct 2009 and after 80+ showings, finally sold it in may 2010. we also made $24k, which doesn't go as far as you think when you're having to completely gut a 2000 sq ft house. in fact, it really only gets you about 80% of 1000 sq ft.
then we made really smart decisions, like letting jared quit his (high paying) job to go back to school and were reduced to a single income family.
it wouldn't be so bad if the basement was just old and needed updating. but due to the mold problems, the entire basement was removed. all the floor. all the drywall. all the fixtures. everything. then a french drain was installed to control the water-table problem. and a bunch of gravel was shoveled in. and all the windows were replaced (since we did all the upstairs ones too). and then, with $8k still sitting in escrow with the mortgage company, everything was halted because we ran out of money and we don't have the $5k required to pour the new basement floor and install the rough in plumbing.
i call it the vortex. i will take a picture soon and post it.
right now the upstairs of the house is livable. it's not pretty or finished, but we have working appliances and essential things like doors*. here is a partial list of the things we still have to do, just so you can get the picture.
- trim the office closet and install closet doors
- mud the inside of the hall closet and install shelf and bar
- install crown molding (moulding?) over the kitchen cabinets
- cover 2x4's in kitchen
- paint kitchen ceiling and window trim
- install doorknob and trim around pantry door
- fill all nail holes and paint trim/baseboard
- caulk around bathroom sink
- finish installing baseboard in kitchen and office
- install kickplates under kitchen cabinets
- fix broken tile in kitchen and regrout floor
a year after the house was vacant, you'd think that we would never have to deal with those tenants again. that's what i thought too. until i was served** and notified that they were suing me in small claims court for $7500. more on that story later.
*we did not have interior doors for about 6 weeks. no bathroom door does not a happy marriage make.
**one month before our wedding, because apparently i didn't have enough going on and had plenty of time to hire attorneys and reschedule court dates and file replies and all other sorts of legal-y stuff.
math nerd
i got a little too excited yesterday when i realized that if i'm able to get pregnant this month, there is a decent chance that our baby will be born on 09/10/11.
1.10.2011
back to class!
tonight is j's first night back in class after the christmas break. i'm excited and guilty about being excited at the same time.
it's not that i like him being gone every evening, i just really like having my alone time, which i have been getting less and less of since j quit his job. now that we're both home all day (and all night when he doesn't have class), it's a little much. i think some apart time is good for the marriage. i need a chance to miss him.
right now he's at a job interview. finally. this is a little sore spot for me as well because he quit his job in september, was supposed to take ONE month off and then start looking for something part time while he was in school. that one month turned into four months. FOUR MONTHS of one income = super stressful. as most of you know, i do not handle having an unemployed partner well - mostly because my ex was on and off of work for years. it scares me. j isn't lazy or entitled like my ex, but it still worries me that this will become a pattern.
j is a hard worker, but he is also a procrastinator. which means that i have tonag encourage him to search for a job. which only makes me irritated, especially when i'm also nagging encouraging him to finish up the projects around the house.
i just hate feeling like i have to do everything - make the money, pay the bills, manage the household, plan our social life.. and be the taskmaster for everything. it gets tiring. i know that he will help me if i ask him to, but sometimes that creates even more work because i have to figure out what i can have him do and then ask him to do it. it is so much nicer when he realizes something needs to be done and just does it.* and no women ever wants to feel like she's anencourager nag.
i know this isn't something unique to our marriage. how do the rest of you balance the work load?
*like when he makes the bed, does the dishes, cleans the litter box, takes out the trash, all of which he is getting good at doing without asking, but there was still a time when i HAD to ask...
it's not that i like him being gone every evening, i just really like having my alone time, which i have been getting less and less of since j quit his job. now that we're both home all day (and all night when he doesn't have class), it's a little much. i think some apart time is good for the marriage. i need a chance to miss him.
right now he's at a job interview. finally. this is a little sore spot for me as well because he quit his job in september, was supposed to take ONE month off and then start looking for something part time while he was in school. that one month turned into four months. FOUR MONTHS of one income = super stressful. as most of you know, i do not handle having an unemployed partner well - mostly because my ex was on and off of work for years. it scares me. j isn't lazy or entitled like my ex, but it still worries me that this will become a pattern.
j is a hard worker, but he is also a procrastinator. which means that i have to
i just hate feeling like i have to do everything - make the money, pay the bills, manage the household, plan our social life.. and be the taskmaster for everything. it gets tiring. i know that he will help me if i ask him to, but sometimes that creates even more work because i have to figure out what i can have him do and then ask him to do it. it is so much nicer when he realizes something needs to be done and just does it.* and no women ever wants to feel like she's an
i know this isn't something unique to our marriage. how do the rest of you balance the work load?
*like when he makes the bed, does the dishes, cleans the litter box, takes out the trash, all of which he is getting good at doing without asking, but there was still a time when i HAD to ask...
1.09.2011
17 days is a long time/nostalgia
j and i have been very successful in the 17 day diet thus far. i've lost 7 pounds and j has lost 12 pounds. we haven't cheated either, which is an amazing feat in itself. we are on day 9 and feel like this first phase will never end. it's not that we're hungry, it's that we're BORED. we can't use food as entertainment like we used to do and that makes me a little cranky. of course, using food for entertainment is probably why we're on this diet in the first place, which makes me crankier.
however, this is the easiest diet that i have ever been on and i believe it's solely because j is doing it with me. amazing how much that makes a difference.
when i first started blogging, SIX years ago, it was kind of the new trend. i followed a lot of other blogs that were just starting out and i enjoyed "connecting" with so many strangers who seemed to be paralleling my life. then i got my new job where i worked from home (and didn't have to pretend to work all day) and facebook became the new trend and i stopped blogging regularly and reading others blogs.
for some reason this weekend, i decided to catch up with some of my old favorites. and by "catch up", i mean, "read the past 4 years of archives in chronological order on She Just Walks Around With It." right now i'm in the middle of 2006 and it's weird how reading through these posts is causing me to remember where i was in my life when i read them the first time. i have always felt a weird connection to the author of that blog, kristy. we seemed to be going through the same things at the same time and have a similar way of expressing ourselves. we were both single girls living in a city, trying to lose weight, drinking wine, going on crazy dates. and then we got married and our lives changed and now she has a baby and one on the way and that's what i'm working towards as well. and it just kind of hit me how crazy it is that SO much can happen in such a relatively short time and where does that time go? and although i am so happy with my life, i got very nostalgic about that time when i was single and just..waiting for the rest of my life to happen.
i really feel like these last 2 years have gone by in an absolute blur. and i've had some major changes, but i feel like i'm stuck in some sort of weird limbo that i won't get out of anytime soon. like there are still a few things i need to do before my "new life" really starts.. and right now i'm stuck between the past and the future and not really able to enjoy being in the present. and i know that when i read this 3 years from now and all of the things i'm currently obsessed with have finally happened, i'll wonder why i didn't allow myself to just enjoy this in-between time and LIVE MY LIFE.
so that's what i'm going to try to do in 2011. live in the present and not worry so much about the future, because when the future finally happens, i'll wish that i had taken advantage of my life as it is right now.
however, this is the easiest diet that i have ever been on and i believe it's solely because j is doing it with me. amazing how much that makes a difference.
when i first started blogging, SIX years ago, it was kind of the new trend. i followed a lot of other blogs that were just starting out and i enjoyed "connecting" with so many strangers who seemed to be paralleling my life. then i got my new job where i worked from home (and didn't have to pretend to work all day) and facebook became the new trend and i stopped blogging regularly and reading others blogs.
for some reason this weekend, i decided to catch up with some of my old favorites. and by "catch up", i mean, "read the past 4 years of archives in chronological order on She Just Walks Around With It." right now i'm in the middle of 2006 and it's weird how reading through these posts is causing me to remember where i was in my life when i read them the first time. i have always felt a weird connection to the author of that blog, kristy. we seemed to be going through the same things at the same time and have a similar way of expressing ourselves. we were both single girls living in a city, trying to lose weight, drinking wine, going on crazy dates. and then we got married and our lives changed and now she has a baby and one on the way and that's what i'm working towards as well. and it just kind of hit me how crazy it is that SO much can happen in such a relatively short time and where does that time go? and although i am so happy with my life, i got very nostalgic about that time when i was single and just..waiting for the rest of my life to happen.
i really feel like these last 2 years have gone by in an absolute blur. and i've had some major changes, but i feel like i'm stuck in some sort of weird limbo that i won't get out of anytime soon. like there are still a few things i need to do before my "new life" really starts.. and right now i'm stuck between the past and the future and not really able to enjoy being in the present. and i know that when i read this 3 years from now and all of the things i'm currently obsessed with have finally happened, i'll wonder why i didn't allow myself to just enjoy this in-between time and LIVE MY LIFE.
so that's what i'm going to try to do in 2011. live in the present and not worry so much about the future, because when the future finally happens, i'll wish that i had taken advantage of my life as it is right now.
1.06.2011
Day 6
5.5 days down, 11.5 days to go. we're still going stong. j made homemade tomato sauce last night which was delicious. i managed to get through my 2 days of client lunches and kept on track as best as i could. the side veggies with my salmon were sauteed and included zucchini which i can't have yet. and i did have one sip of my green tea before i realized it was sweetened. it wasn't as hard as i thought to watch my clients eat fries and sandwiches, although they sure looked good.
j has lost 11 pounds so far and i'm down 5.5. that's keeping us motivated for sure. we are getting a little bored, especially with the veggies, but i'm experimenting a little more with spices.
we are both very excited for phase two - where we can add in shellfish, beef and pork, starchy veggies, all fruits, and some whole grains. should make things a little more interesting!
j has lost 11 pounds so far and i'm down 5.5. that's keeping us motivated for sure. we are getting a little bored, especially with the veggies, but i'm experimenting a little more with spices.
we are both very excited for phase two - where we can add in shellfish, beef and pork, starchy veggies, all fruits, and some whole grains. should make things a little more interesting!
1.03.2011
Day 3
i was expecting to be drooling over real food today like i have been for the past few days. but it really wasn't that bad! i was babysitting my nieces and managed to take them to starbucks for a vanilla steamer (green tea for me) and watch them eat their sandwiches without wanting to shoot myself.
i was also down FOUR pounds today, so that helps.
one thing that i'm battling with is how to keep ground turkey, chicken, fish, and veggies exciting.. because that's pretty much all i can eat for the next 42 meals. i've already done stir fry and salad.. if anyone has any recipes using these ingredients along with eggs, spices and/or a little olive oil, i would LOVE to have them!
i'm a little nervous because i have a co-worker in town tomorrow and wednesday and of course we have to take clients out to lunch and dinner. this is when being on a diet is SO HARD. so much of my job is tied to wining and dining. i'm planning to just order a salad with a grilled chicken breast and some oil/vinegar. which will be torturous because i'm sure there will be a bread basket right in front of me or someone will be evil and order french fries.
jared is threatening to tag along because he doesn't trust me - but i will show him!
i was also down FOUR pounds today, so that helps.
one thing that i'm battling with is how to keep ground turkey, chicken, fish, and veggies exciting.. because that's pretty much all i can eat for the next 42 meals. i've already done stir fry and salad.. if anyone has any recipes using these ingredients along with eggs, spices and/or a little olive oil, i would LOVE to have them!
i'm a little nervous because i have a co-worker in town tomorrow and wednesday and of course we have to take clients out to lunch and dinner. this is when being on a diet is SO HARD. so much of my job is tied to wining and dining. i'm planning to just order a salad with a grilled chicken breast and some oil/vinegar. which will be torturous because i'm sure there will be a bread basket right in front of me or someone will be evil and order french fries.
jared is threatening to tag along because he doesn't trust me - but i will show him!
1.02.2011
17 days
yesterday j and i started the 17 day diet. dr. phil and the doctors have been heavily promoting it and since j watches both of those shows daily, he suggested we try it.
both of us have gained 30-40 pounds since the wedding and it was starting to get out of control. and since we're trying to start a family, we figured that losing some weight might make it easier. starting a diet on january 1 is nothing new to me, but j has never been on a diet before. this is the first time that i have been on a diet with a significant other, so maybe it will be easier?
we've been joking about it since we decided to try it. and last week we ate like food was going out of style. i was convinced that j would back out at the last minute, especially since all he probably needs to do to lose weight is scale back his portions a bit. but he didn't, and now we're on day two.
right now we're in the 1st phase, which lasts 17 days. it's a detoxifying phase - we all know how fun those are. we can eat: eggs, unlimited chicken/turkey/fish, unlimited veggies, 2 low sugar fruits, green tea, black coffee, and 2 probiotic yogurts a day.
yesterday was tough. we were both cranky from sugar withdrawal and hungry. j is not the biggest fan of veggies or fish, but he's being a trooper. j couldn't get over the fact that he ate huge plate of salmon and veggies, yet didn't feel full and satisfied. welcome to dieting, baby.
today was a little better, although i had to go to costco to get some greek yogurt and chicken breasts and it was so hard to pass up all of the samples. once the withdrawal symptoms go away, i'm sure it will be much easier.
both of us feel better already - i have more energy and we each lost a few pounds this morning.
i'm hoping that by having j's support on this, and being able to cook for both of us and not have to sit there starving while he devours a huge plate of spaghetti, it will work and i can finally get down to a normal weight.
wish us luck!
both of us have gained 30-40 pounds since the wedding and it was starting to get out of control. and since we're trying to start a family, we figured that losing some weight might make it easier. starting a diet on january 1 is nothing new to me, but j has never been on a diet before. this is the first time that i have been on a diet with a significant other, so maybe it will be easier?
we've been joking about it since we decided to try it. and last week we ate like food was going out of style. i was convinced that j would back out at the last minute, especially since all he probably needs to do to lose weight is scale back his portions a bit. but he didn't, and now we're on day two.
right now we're in the 1st phase, which lasts 17 days. it's a detoxifying phase - we all know how fun those are. we can eat: eggs, unlimited chicken/turkey/fish, unlimited veggies, 2 low sugar fruits, green tea, black coffee, and 2 probiotic yogurts a day.
yesterday was tough. we were both cranky from sugar withdrawal and hungry. j is not the biggest fan of veggies or fish, but he's being a trooper. j couldn't get over the fact that he ate huge plate of salmon and veggies, yet didn't feel full and satisfied. welcome to dieting, baby.
today was a little better, although i had to go to costco to get some greek yogurt and chicken breasts and it was so hard to pass up all of the samples. once the withdrawal symptoms go away, i'm sure it will be much easier.
both of us feel better already - i have more energy and we each lost a few pounds this morning.
i'm hoping that by having j's support on this, and being able to cook for both of us and not have to sit there starving while he devours a huge plate of spaghetti, it will work and i can finally get down to a normal weight.
wish us luck!
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