Catching Up is Hard to Do...

Ok, here's the breakdown of how the move went:

Friday Morning: I check the bank balance and well, you know. So, after the shower, Greg and I are sitting in bed with Amelia talking about the action plan for the day. The first action is to call Amelia's doctor of which he asks if we can bring her in at 4pm (and I say yes, of course). Then, my plan of action is to stop by my job and pick up my check, drop Amelia off at the sitters and then return. While I was driving all over HoCo, Greg and Ken were loading up the u-haul with the bed and sofa and other items. I believe it was about 10:45am when I returned from all the errands and Greg and Ken had completed their tasks and I was cleaning out the pantry of our items and items on my nightstand. While I was cleaning off my nightstand, Greg comes and tells me he's ready to go since it was past 11am and he wanted to start unloading the truck by 11:30 at the latest. So we leave. I stop off at 7-11 to get waters and Gatorade and ice for everyone and then to the bank to deposit my pay check into the joint account. When I arrived at the condo, Greg and Ken had already unloaded the bed (king size mattress and box springs as well as bed frame)! So, thus began the extremely intense move! Oh.My.Gawd. was it hot on Friday. I was sweating so much and it takes a lot to get me to sweat. Greg and Ken were soaked (thank goodness I'm not male and don't sweat like that). The three of us unloaded the truck until about 1pm, which is when Sean and Aaron showed up. Then there were five of us to finish unloading and we were all done around 2. Not too bad. So, once we were done with the unloading, we head back to Laurel to return the truck, then to Greg's place to drop off he and Ken to which they load up Greg's car of more items, and then I drive over to Elkridge to get Amelia and take her to the doctors. Yes, I made it by 4pm and surprisingly, there was no wait for being a spontaneous patient. Amelia was checked and she has an ear infection in her left ear. Booo. So, after the appointment, I went ot Giant to fill her prescription for Amoxicillian (icky pink stuff that she seems to love) and call my Mom to see if Sean and I ever had ear infections when we were younger. Turns out we never did. Greg, on the other hand, along with his brothers, had chronic ear infections and ended up with tubes in their ears! Oy! Are ear infections a trait that can be passed down? Poor Amelia, her nose is so stuffy that she can't breath through it and when she gets sleepy, she can't fall asleep. Greg and I have been giving her baby Tylenol to help and then yesterday I began using the 'bulbous' (nose aspirator) to get the 'stuff' out. She hates it with a passion and screams and cries every time I do this but I know it works because I can see the results and then she's able to breath a little better when we're done (since she usually passes out on my shoulder). I am concerned that she's getting a sinus infection because the 'stuff' was once clear and now it's turning greenish. I am going to wait a day or so to see if the Amoxicillian works on the nose as well before I call her doctor again (which just reminded me that I need to make an appointment for her follow-up; office is closed due to lunch, mental note: must call back at 2). But, aside from that, all is well. Friday night was uneventful. Did about 3 loads of laundry and learned that the dryer isn't the most efficient piece of machine, going to have to write a note to The Condo Guy. Then Greg and I became so freaking hungry since we hadn't eat all day and decided to order a pizza from some location in Brooklyn. Damn good pizza! We were very pleased. Then, it was off to bed. It was weird going to bed in a different place. Amelia didn't sleep to well and she and I were up at 4:30am. I didn't fall back asleep until AFTER the sun started coming up. Yes, I saw the sunrise from my bedroom window. Very pretty, but I would rather have slept. Greg and I were both up, along with Amelia by 8am.

On Saturday, Mom made it up to check out the new place as well as bring Amelia's crib and dresser up and other items (many other items; a truck load of other items). Mom loves the place. She loves the colors, the lay out, and most importantly: Amelia's bedroom. Once we were done checking the place out and whatnot, we head over to Target to do some shopping (courtesy of Mom). Surprisingly, we didn't get that much stuff. Sean met us at the Target and picked up a few items as well. We were in that store for over two hours! My feet were so tired when we left and we still had to haul everything up to the third floor and Greg bought a shelving unit and tv stand! That stuff isn't light, don'tcha know? But, we did it. When we got home we unloaded and unpacked the items. Mom went to work on Amelia's room; hanging the curtain up, worked on the crib and other items. Greg began putting the tv stand together and learned that he needs a screw driver that we don't have and I was putting the Target items away (bathroom accessories; kitchen accessories, etc). Once we were all done with that, we pondered dinner. We were all so very hungry. Very hungry. We ended up eating at the Golden Corral across the street. Greg treated us to dinner and the food wasn't too bad. Greg loved the desserts and I enjoyed the pot roast and fresh fruit (yummy watermelon and strawberries). When we were done, Mom headed home because she wasn't feel well and Greg and I headed over to Wal-Mart and Mars (Wal-mart to get a screwdriver and wash rag for Amelia). Yeah, I know I stated that I hate Mars, but the choice of grocery stores is pretty much nil in this area and since the two are within the same building I only went for the convenience. While at Mars, I used the last of my WIC checks and bought food (lunch and dinner) for the remainder of the week. I was expecting our total to be $60 or $70 but it came to $45. Whew! After grocery shopping, we stopped by my brothers and gave him 2 gallons of milk because I had 2 gallons for myself and there is no way Greg and I can drink/use 4 gallons of milk in 3 weeks (why so much milk? because WIC supplies lots of milk, more than I normally consume). We finally make it home around 7 or 8 and Greg finishes putting the tv stand together and then we just crash. All of us.

Sunday: We're all up by 8am, again. I tend to Amelia while Greg begins the bookcase. By 10 am, he's done and Amelia is very cranky and wants to take a nap but she can't fall asleep because of her stuffy nose. Greg and I try to calm her down and then we end up using the bulbous and she finally falls asleep a little after 11. Greg and I relax and lay in bed and chat. Then, around 1-ish, we head over to his Mom's to get a few more items and visit since she wanted to see Amelia even though Amelia isn't feeling well (by golly, I think Greg's Mom likes being a Grandma!). Greg and I ended up staying for about an hour and head back home with a car load of items. All to unload, again, up three flights of stairs. Have I mentioned we're on the top floor? The day was challenging due to Amelia. She was very irritable. At one point, Greg went to Target to look into buying baby sinus medicine but all they carried was medicine for cough and cold, nothing just for sinus. So, we didn't get anything for her. We ended up using the bulbous again and she finally fell asleep for a little while. While she was napping, there was an accident on Ordnance Rd. that Greg and I heard and could see the cop lights. It was freaky to hear it. We were standing on the balcony trying to see what happened but there were too many trees. In any event, the rest of the day was low key. We watched Lilo and Stitch and then some *special* movies (wink wink) and then Jay Leno's Headlines collection that Greg had from 2000! I played a little Yoshi on the DS and took my shower around 10pm. I was asleep as soon as I layed in bed after the shower. I don't remember falling asleep or anything. It was a very deep and restful sleep. I didn't wake up for anything until the alarm went off at 6:45am.

Just some tidbits:

I finally have my Nissan back!!! On Friday, while I was at the doctors office for Amelia, the insurance company called and said that my car has been ready for a couple of days and why hadn't I picked it up. I informed that person that called that I have not received any communication from the repair shop and that I did call on 08/10 to check on the status and was informed that there was an issue with the insurance check and that they, the repair shop, was going to call me back when the car was ready (which the never did). Also, I told her that I was unable to speak and asked that she call me back in a half hour and her reply was that she was about to leave and that she would call the repair shop to call me (which they never did). So, this morning when I returned the rental they informed me that the insurance company stopped paying for the car on Friday (08/17). I told them that I was going to call the insurance company about that and for now the rental isn't going to take the money out of my deposit. This morning I called my claims agent and left a message. I will call again at 3:30 and see what happens.

All weekend, and most of last week for that matter, I've been trying to meet with the potential new babysitter. Didn't happen. Today, hopefully, Greg and I are going to meet with her after work. So far, I like her; based on our phone conversations. I also like the fact that her price is negotiable if we provide items such as a car seat and pack n play for Amelia. I am eager to see what the price will be, though. In the mean time, I do have a few other people lined up in case this person doesn't work out. And, if worst comes to worst, Mom is more than willing to watch Amelia while we find someone.

Greg and I are thinking it will be at least a month before we initiate cable/internet service. We want to see what the finances are going to be like. At the moment, Greg hasn't even brought his computer or camera over and is in no hurry, oddly.

All the while at work I've been trying to catch up. I had around five voice mails; countless emails and still the project that now requires overtime. I'm not feeling all that well; my throat is sore and has been since yesterday. I'm still very tired and wish for a whole day without a sick baby to recover. There is still unpacking to do and laundry and now dishes (afraid to run the dishwasher). At least I was able to get Amelia an appointment for Sept 1 and not have to miss any work. All this while having to do actual work!!! I was feeling very stressed up until 2pm. Now, I am not feeling as stressed and am able to complete today's entry.

Ok. I'm heading out at 2:42pm

*~_*~_*~_*~_ and all that jazz_~*_~*_~*_~*

I've been seriously thinking about financing a car. I've never financed a car before and this thought is probably one of the most scariest things for me. Financing a car is such a huge commitment to me. It's hard to explain why financing a car is so frightful to me. I just don't like the thought of something so valuable and needed to be taken away from me; also, I'm not too keen on having to choose car payment, rent, or food if ever there comes a time that I only have enough money for one.

I did speak to a dealership last night, and even thought about stopping by on my way home. When I spoke with the sales guy, I told him up front that my credit score isn't the best and that I don't have much for a down payment and he told me that they have approved people with less. That was a little encouraging. Now, there are two reasons why I didn't stop on my way home: 1. I really don't want to go alone. and 2. I really had to pee by the time I made it to the exit. Traffic was a bitch last night on Rt. 100 E.

After talking to the dealership, I tried to call my Mom to tell her what I was thinking about with the car, but their phone is temporarily disconnected. Perfect timing.

Last night was uneventful. I didn't watch much tv and was asleep around 10pm. Greg called me at 11:30, I tried to wake up for him but I couldn't, so we chatted for only a few moments. I did call him this morning at 7:30 to make sure he was up and showered.

Yesterday, my Grandma sent me an email letting me know that she sent me a card with a little 'encouragement' to help me with my crisis. Aren't Grandmas the best?

Frustrated

Last night, after work, I stopped by the place that has my car to get a few things out of it. I asked the guy if he had a chance to look at it and what he told me wasn't what I wanted to hear; "You need a new engine."

Fuck

I called my Mom to let her know and she asked "What are you going to do?" and I replied with scream and cry because that is what I wanted to do. I was so frustrated! I have ABSOLUTELY no money saved or to spend right now, especially with the move in three and a half weeks! I can't afford a $200 a week car rental and that's a waste of money in my eyes.

Mom and I talked for a few more minutes trying to think of possibilities to help. One thing we talked about was for her to obtain a small loan for me to buy a used car and I pay the loan back instead of her. She's afraid that since she isn't working she won't be approved. So, we ended the conversation with her telling me that she's going to talk to Van.

After talking to Mom, I call Greg to get an idea of when he's going to be home and he was still on 100 as I was pulling up to the townhouse. I was irritated that he wasn't home at the time he said he was going to be, especially now with all the stress about the car.

I get home and take Amelia out of the car seat and just sit on the couch. I talk to Aaron and Sean about the car and stuff. About 20 minutes later, Greg walks in the door and comes over to me with roses! But, not just a bouquet of roses; he bought a miniature rose bush that can be planted!! Aww! Isn't he the greatest? I told him the roses make up for his tardiness.

Greg asks if there is anything he can do and I replied with "Yeah, tell me that you've secretly saved about $5,000 and that you can help me get a car." and he replied with something along the lines of "Well, even though I would hate to do this for the third time, I could close my 401k." I completely forgot about my IRA! I called ING to start the process of closing my account. After the taxes and penalties, I should receive around $1300. That's a start.

After talking to ING, Greg and I watch Hell's Kitchen. What an interesting group of people! Greg and I loved watching Top Chef on Bravo earlier this year. And, Hell's Kitchen is a good make up for Hero's. We're excited to have something to watch on Monday nights.

This morning, I called Mom and Van to let them know that I will have some money to help with a new car and Van tells me that he's working on a car for me. The car is a 1984 Honda Civic with 50,000 'original' miles. He said the car belonged to a church. I am a little hesitant about the car. I want something a little more modern for Amelia. The last Honda I drove was a 1982 Prelude and I was in a car accident in that car. I hit the side of a 1997 car with the passenger side front end of my car going about 5-10 mph and the damage to the Honda was unbelievable. The entire front end of my car was crumbled to my door! I can only image what a more serious accident would look like and I really don't want to take that risk with Amelia in the back seat. But, at the same time, I NEED A CAR and I can't be choosy with what I can get.
Ugh, so much stress!!! Later in the morning, I called again to talk to Mom to tell her about the IRA account and she mentioned that Van was also looking at a 1997 vehicle. She doesn't know anything about either car other than they are looking for the titles.

I don't know what to think. I am so frustrated and stressed about this whole situation. It feels like nothing will ever be 'perfect' for me; I will always have some form of struggle. At times, it's so hard to stay motivated and optimistic. I am getting tired of hearing "everything happends for a reason" or "God is testing or challenging you to prepare you for the real world" and things related. No one knows the life I've had, the struggles and everything else. Why do I need to be challenged? Why am I constantly thrown 'things for a reason'? And, this can't be blamed on karma because I've never done anything bad in my life! I never made fun of anyone, never hurt anyone in any sense or form, I've always worked hard and volunteered to help others, I've always put others and their needs before myself. I am not a selfish person at all! I just don't get it.