Of mice and other things

We had an intruder last night. Rick was laying on the floor watching tv and I heard him say (in a calm, yet very imperative voice) "Kristen... please bring me the flyswatter. Now, please." He never addresses me as "Kristen" unless something is going on. So when I delivered it to him, I was preparing for something bad. He wasn't even sure WHAT it was... just that something was behind the tv. How then, I wondered, would a flyswatter help, if we're not sure what it is? And...the flyswatter didn't help. All it did was bolster the courage for us to poke and prod behind the console. Sure enough, a not so little brown mouse dashed out, spun around, and dashed back behind the TV. Great. We have mice. Except at that point, we still weren't real sure it was a mouse because the sneaky fellow was so quick! To make a long story short, the little guy finally reacted to our flyswatter approach and escaped across the room into the coat closet. You know, the closet that is jam packed with stuff that we don't know what to do with. After a strategy session in The Situation Room (aka, living room) we formulated our military attack and executed it in precise formation. We secured the perimeter of the foyer where the closet is and methodically emptied the coat closet. With each piece that was removed, our collective breath sighed out, expecting our intruder to dash out. Finally, we were down to just one last box remaining in the closet. He HAD to be behind that. When it was pulled out of the way (via the hook on our fireplace poker) the little guy blazed a trail out of there. He fell right into our scheme, following the series of levies and retractable walls, corrals and one-way tunnels... right out the front door! My only regret is that I didn't capture any of this on video. The shrieks and shouts would have been funny... in retrospect that is! Other things going on: We had a GREAT 4th of July weekend. Below are a few highlights. Two days at the cabin with relaxation at the top of the list. Boiled some fresh gulf shrimp and treated Dad to a feast on the front deck. Mother was a bit snobby and brought her own sandwich. A full day at Lee & Susan's with the entire family on Saturday... minus Tod and Robyn, Tyler, Lindsey and Kati. We finally get to meet Kati next weekend. That is, of course, if the Dept of Homeland Security comes to their senses and agrees that Kati is not a 4 year old terrorist. Learned a fun new dice game called Farkle Fireworks for our #6 anniversary, back at the scene of the crime! Planned a trip to the Grand Canyon for Mom and Dad, Craig and Carolyn. In the picture below, they are testing out my car for the journey to see if Dad can sit behind Craig. I'm not sure about that... A new week has begun, and I'm already feeling swamped. One thing at a time...

It's hot outside, and other stuff

Here's an update on life at the Brown household: 1. It's hot outside. I came home from work yesterday to see that Rick and Taylor melted, leaving only their clothes behind.

Truth be told...we had a water leak that both Taylor and Rick were involved in working. And I guess I've trained them well enough to leave all dirty clothes outside.

2. Our Cowboy Group (and here) threw Rick a birthday party. (#50 if anyone is counting... but none of us are!) Below is a group picture. We had so much fun! Thanks, everyone, for making it happen!

3. We uncovered another foot of patio that was hiding underneath the overgrowth. Yes!

4. A cute little kitty adopted us. Here is a picture of him on Craig's lap. Craig is on the phone trying to convince Carolyn that they needed another kitty. 18 hours later (and a trip to Dallas and back)... kitty returned. A bit road-weary, but ready to keep searching for his new home. After a bit of work, we found it a purrfect home! I don't have a picture (Allison, need pics!) but little Halle named him "KC" after Kristen/Collin, since Collin and I delivered him to Halle.

5. Father's Day. Collin and Taylor gave their dad a new Craftsman tool set. They did good!

I tried to give Dad a kitty for Father's Day... it didn't work.

6. We're driving to Tulsa (ohhhhh, ahhhhh) Wednesday evening for a business presentation on Thursday. Then, to celebrate Rick's birthday on Thursday, we're returning to the place of his birth. Cowtown - historic Fort Worth - for an overnight celebration! Pictures to follow... maybe.

Construction

Our fridge wouldn't fit in the slot designed for a fridge! It appears that fridges from our current decade are slightly larger than those from Leave It To Beaver days. After some hem-hawing back and forth, we decided to keep the fridge and modify the cabinets. Last night, Rick tackled the project.

And if you want to see Rick in action, click play on the video below.

I've had some friends ask for pictures of the house... As you can see, we're not anywhere near unpacked. Below is a picture of the backdoor entry. It's also our frontdoor entry, and the only door we'll use. There is an official front door, but you can't use it.

Note: When you come to see us, just park in the back and come through the fence. Below is the the formal dining. We plan to use it as Rick's home office...even though his real office is about a 30 second walk out the door! The one room where you can walk and not trip over boxes is our bedroom. I have not hung any pictures, but the furniture is in place. Most of the boxes are still stuffed in my closet. You don't get to see a picture of that!

So that's it for now. Slowly, we're nesting in. I'm looking forward to a long weekend to get things more settled.

We're in!

I can't post a picture of the new place right now, but will later. Here is the moving truck (one of them) before pulling the door down on it and driving away. We are in, after the marathon move on Friday. Every day something else finds its rightful place in our new home, but there are still mounds of boxes to unpack. I'm exhausted, in a good way. That seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? How can being exhausted be good? Yet I feel peaceful. Waking up in this old homestead somehow seems right. Happy and sad times played out over the last 50 years in this house, and 50 years before that as well! If these walls could speak... I wonder what I'd hear? Maybe my mom as a teenager, probably bickering with her brothers over something. I might hear Granny mediating the fight while whipping up something in the kitchen - the very kitchen that I ate a bowl of cereal in this morning! I wonder if she liked the way that corner cabinet door is connected to the other cabinet (because I'm not sure I like it!) I might even hear Granddad sending the kids out to dig up bull-nettles in the pasture, or to feed the cows, or to run something over to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house next door. I guess what I like about this house is that it makes me feel more connected to my heritage. And that's a good feeling.

What Will I Miss?

Yesterday we had an interested buyer view our house. And then they came back to view it again later in the day.

The realtor believes they are very interested, and might make an offer on the house as early as today or tomorrow.

We've had enough lookers to get our hopes up, and then waltz away for one reason or another. So after one episode of sitting on the kitchen floor and crying (that was last year) I've determined not to get my hopes up too much until we know it's going to happen.

Flashback: That one particular time...we just KNEW they wanted the house. They said so. They were going to pay cash too! And then they didn't. They met a friend down the street at the clubhouse and got to talking to them... and were convinced that they didn't really want to be on our street - the main drag through the Country Club. Wouldn't they rather live in the "inner compound" nestled among more trees and closer neighbors? The house they then looked at - and bought - wasn't even for sale, but the friend knew that it might sell if there was an interested buyer!

Yes... that one brought my inexperienced, naive, little house selling soul to the kitchen floor for a good old fashioned cry. If you've never wept on the floor of your kitchen, I'd highly recommend it. Very cathartic! Here's the scene of the crime... just to the left of the fridge is where the victim collapsed:

Which brings me back to today. I'm trying to keep my emotions under the radar, so to speak. These lovely people may decide that our house isn't what they are looking for.

And that will be ok. I'm clinging to the promise God makes to always care for me. And... my goodness, has He done that? WAY over the top on the blessings scale.

I've been thinking though, what will I miss most about this house? So here's a quick list:

1. Living in a house that Rick and I built together - that's top of the list. He proposed in the breakfast nook - before the foundation was even poured. 2. The kitchen. Our future Farmhouse kitchen isn't "open" to the other rooms. 3. The warmth in the winter. Farmhouse is cold and drafty. 4. Neighbors. We have fun, lively people on our street. Farmhouse has about 2000 neighbors, all 6 feet under. My parents being the exception. 5. View of the golfcourse. See picture below. The "Farmhouse view" sure can sound picturesque, um... ok, just go with that. So it sounds like there aren't many reasons to move, right? That's when I need to remind myself of why we're doing this:

1. Live more simply. It's easy to get caught up in the crowd of "keeping up with the Jones'." 2. Cut out the 30 mile commute and replace with a 30 second commute. 3. Live mortgage free. Duh... who wouldn't do that? 4. Pay off debts & Invest in future. aka: kids college, retirement, future dreams 5. Live closer to my aging and mentally incapacitated parents.

Ok that last one was just for fun. I couldn't resist. JUST KIDDING, MOM & DAD! Love you!

I guess whether we stay here for a bit longer, or end up moving to Athens, there are good things to cherish. I have to remind myself everyday that where I am today is where I need to be for today. I need to live like that, intentionally, and not wish my days away.

Sat morning breakfast at Athens Cafe

We spent the night at the farmhouse in Athens. Worked late moving offices around... Breakfast at the cafe starts out our Saturday, and afterwards we will resume the work tidying up our new digs. We've seen several people this morning that we know, but it's going to take say lot of work making Athens feel like home. And while it is close in proximity to our town, it still feels so very far away... I think today is the first time I've had a pang of homesickness, and we haven't even moved yet.

It Finally Happened...

Yes, my friends. It finally happened. What I had been warned about, prepared for, and prayed wouldn't happen. An event this mortifying was bound to occur, sooner or later. And yet, I was still praying never. Miracles still occur, you know. I called it faith, but in reality it was more a case of "rose-colored glasses." We were staying in the Farm House last night, continuing our regular Sunday / Monday night stay. And that's where it happened. Where reality woke me up. 1:59am, to be exact, is when the allure of the simple life at the Farm House died a tragic death. Here's a summary of the event: Sound slumber. The slightest tickle on my arm. My eyes flutter open. Horror as I see (gasp!) a roach on my arm. A faint thump resounds against the wall as I fling it off my arm. "HONEY! WAKE UP! IT HAPPENED!" Rick flies out of bed, throws the light on, and assumes battle position. The dog lifts her head, opens one eye, then closes it, lazily deciding she wasn't needed. Rick applies one swift STOMP on the little devil. Then a 2nd and a 3rd. And a 4th for good measure. Whew! My Hero slays the dragon (by this time the roach had grown exponentially.) Sleep does NOT return. With the morning anew, and all creatures of the night pushed back behind enemy lines, I realize that we can look at this event in two different ways. Be sure and vote for they way YOU would look at the events, had it been YOU. Voting is at the top right of my Blog homepage. The "glass half full" approach: I survived the WORST thing that could happen in the Farm House. It happened, I know how it plays out, and I emerged the victor. It's all gravy from here. The "glass half empty" approach: In the past 21 days, we've spent a total of 6 nights in the Farm House. That's 28.5% of our nights. Roughly 1/4 of the total. If I spend every night there in a given week, the logical result would be that on any 2 given nights, I will encounter this nightmare again. Fiddlesticks. I'm not sure I can do this.