Did you get the E-Vite?

I sent out an E-Vite invitation to our "Greatest Ever Unpacking Party". I certainly did not mean to leave anyone out, so if you didn't get it, shoot me an email so I can add you to the list! (-:

GREATEST EVER UNPACKING PARTY

YOU ARE INVITED....

TO AN UNPACKING PARTY!

At our new home.... Sunday, April 27 at 1:00PM until we can't take it any more.

We'll feed you lunch, drinks, and snacks.

More details later, but pretty please save the date. (-:

We've got movers to do the moving and packing up, but would love some help getting things out of the boxes and put away. Feel free to drop by for a short time or as long as you'd like... even if your real motivation is to check out our new place! (-:

Hooray!

Well, it's all set. We are under contract to buy our new home! BOTH closings are scheduled for Thursday, April 24th. We'll have movers come on Saturday the 26th, so our first night at the new house will be on the 26th.

We're so grateful for so many answered prayers, and the support of our friends and family. Thanks so much! We love you!

Completely NEW plan.....

Well, things changed. First, our buyers had a hiccup with their original loan plan, so now they are doing a VA loan. That usually takes longer, and they had submitted a request to change the closing date to one week later. However, after asking around about VA loans, Ben and I asked them to stretch it two weeks later. We're still waiting on their response, but hope that will work out. I had already done all the phone calls to transfer, cancel, and set up movers, utilities, the cleaning guy, etc and I was not pleased with the prospect of having to undo all that, redo it for a week later, and then having to undo and redo again because they'd been too optimistic... anyway, with the new timeframe, we started thinking, well, maybe we DO have time to find a house... So, we put a hold on the apartment lease. Thankfully, we only lost $100 for the application fee (ie credit check).

We looked around at houses yesterday and today, and WE DECIDED ON ONE!!! We're meeting with the realtor tomorrow afternoon to put together our offer. My parents came to check out the two we'd narrowed it down to, and they both agreed that the one we're going with was a better choice, and they both seemed to like it a lot. Ben had been leaning that way as well, and they all convinced me. Now I'm super excited about it.



In case you want to look it up, here's the info: 4674 Pyrenees Court - MLS# 3620253 . It is in Dunwoody, off of Tilly Mill. The house is on a cul-de-sac and has four bedrooms and 3 full baths. We are excited about having a garage, and the master suite is bigger than most in our price range in Dunwoody -- it will actually fit our monstrous bedroom furniture! The fourth bedroom was listed as a first floor bedroom, but we're going to use that as our Office/Library. The yard was well cared for, and there is a great Dogwood tree out the kitchen window. Ben's commute will be 5.4 miles and mine will be 11.1 miles (opposite traffic). EXCELLENT! It feeds into Chestnut Elementary School, Peachtree Middle School, and Dunwoody High. The pictures in the listing have wallpaper and colorful rooms, but they went through and made it all neutral with no wallpaper. (What goes around comes around, eh?) Best of all, it is 100% move-in ready and vacant so a pretty quick closing should not be a problem. We'll probably ask to do the 25th, assuming that our buyers agree to the 24th. Then we'd move on Saturday the 26th. Hmm. That's just three weeks from now...

Apartment Dwellers

Well, we made the decision to rent an apartment. There was one 4 miles from Ben's work (an awesome change for him!) that allowed us to get a decent price with just a four month contract. We'll be moving into Post Oglethorpe on Friday the 11th. It's a roomy two bedroom apartment with a two car garage that we will use as our "storage unit" and have everything under one roof again. Hopefully, this will allow us to take our time choosing the right house for us and to save a little more for a down payment.

This apartment thing was more Ben's idea than mine, and it hasn't been an easy week for our marriage, but things seem to be getting better. Change is hard no matter how much of a blessing the change represents, I suppose. I was NOT happy that this would mean needing to move twice in half a year. I like order and I was REALLY looking forward to nesting in my new home and preparing the house for the baby we'll be adopting and the rest of our lives! Not to mention, just three short years ago as we were pre-wedding, I moved in October, January, and again in March- and then had to adjust when Ben moved in, too. You can imagine I was ready to never, ever, ever move again!

In the end, I suppose Ben is right about getting a short term apartment. I just wish it had been a more gradual discussion and decision process rather than his sudden announcement (maybe pronouncement!?) that most of what we've been discussing and acting on about buying our next home was all wrong, and the houses we'd looked at were not really options now, and we need to hold off a few more months to save more money before buying a house.... Because, you know, I wasn't stressed enough about the fact that we got a contract with a closing date less than three weeks later and had no place to move to, so it was a GREAT idea to add fuel to that fire!

At any rate, choosing to live in an apartment for four months WILL allow us to be patient and wait for God's timing on our house purchase. It WILL allow us to cut back on our commuting expenses and time. It WILL allow us to live in the area we want to live without making a rushed decision on a long term commitment. And the drawback of moving twice, well, I guess that is offset by Ben agreeing that we can hire "real movers" for both the move out of this house and the future move from the apartment to the house we'll buy.

And, btw, we WILL buy a house in the near future! And you'd better believe when we do, I'll waste no time getting the nursery set up.... and nesting like crazy. Nesting meaning getting the house how WE want it, as opposed to just a generic house. Ben thinks it will be 18 months before we get to adopt a baby- and it could be-- but Ben also thought this house would never sell before June or July. I was pretty sure it wouldn't take very long. Hmmm. Who was right on that one? God's timing is perfect, definitely, but not always predictable! Never say never! (-:

May you rest and wait on our dear, loving father and all He has in store for you!

UNDER CONTRACT

And soon to be homeless... We accepted the 4th counteroffer and are now under contract. We are pleased with the agreed upon amount. They do have a 7 day "due dilegence" period, but there is no indication of that being a problem. The closing is scheduled for Thursday April 10th, and we'll move out the following Saturday and Sunday.

We looked at a dozen houses in Dunwoody this afternoon. A few might work, but none of them are ones we couldn't wait to jump on. It would probably be an easier search if we had another $75k to spend, but, alas, we don't! Anyway, we will not settle on something just 'cause we're in a hurry, so keep prayin' "our" house will get listed any day now! (-:

My cousin Lindsey had her baby boy on Saturday. They are in Oregon. Congrats and best wishes, Lindsey!

Getting closer to "Under Contract"

We're on counter offer 3.... they made an offer, we countered, they countered, and we countered again.... We're pretty close to their last offer, so things are looking optimistic.... just down to working out the smaller details like closing date and how much we'll pay in closing costs...

Happy Easter!

Offer and counter offer out there.... we'll see!!!

We got an offer for our house!!! We've submitted a counter offer, as it wasn't a high enough offer, but they seem to be really interested and in a hurry... If our counter offer is accepted, and everything goes well with the inspection, we'd close on April 7 and have to be out by noon April 13th... our house search just picked up some serious "umph"!

We're looking at some houses today and will probably look all weekend, but figure we'll need to get pods and stay at an extended stay or something. Grammy and Grampy Julyan have already agreed to let Baxter and Lucy stay with them, so the most important detail is worked out. (-;

East Point is fine.... we didn't even loose power.....

This was my favorite picture of the Atlanta Severe Storm Damage.... All the roof damage, cars crushed, & houses under trees were interesting.... but water pouring down steps inside a hotel? Now that I would have never predicted... what a gorgeous picture. Kinda makes me think about the Titanic, you know?



http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/tools/shared/mediahub/00/89/66/slide2_466890_water.jpg

Thanks for sharing this story, Heather!

A teacher's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted. A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..' 'What does it mean to be adopted?,’ asked another child. 'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

What's Up with the Georgia Greenwalds....

Congrats to Dawn and Charles on the birth of their first son, Leif Gordon Spoelstra. That baby was over 9 lbs, and Dawn has a tiny frame. You know, after hearing all my friends and their pregnancy stories, I figure I'm getting a pretty good deal with this adoption thing.... no pregnancy or labor required!

We met with our adoption specialist for the first time this afternoon, and just got home from our first Adoption Education Class with Bethany Christian Services. It was pretty interesting.... They brought in a couple with their 1 year old they'd adopted as an infant. It's pretty comforting, too, to sit in a room full of couples that have gone through infertility and are now in the waiting game of adoption.

My new job is awesome....I like this office TONS more than the one I left. It has its challenges, too, but so far I prefer these challenges to the old ones. So far, it just feels like the managers are just more realistic and supportive. It will take some time to make friends amongst co-workers, but that's ok. Being less social means more time keeping up with my work and making the best impression on my supervisors that I can, right? Ben and I met some former co-workers (Aidie and Suzanne) for dinner last week which was awesome-- sure do miss them. Suzanne was my mentor and a close friend, and our personalities are a lot alike... both the good and bad parts.... she makes me laugh! Aidie had been in Puerto Rico for a temporary detail, and it was great to see her after not seeing her for four months.

Also, the commute isn't usually as bad as I expected, just have to get myself out of the door before 7 AM and then be patient going through downtown Atlanta on the way home. Half the time I've got something going on up on the north side of town in the evenings, anyway.

There haven't been too many people looking at our house, so might as well just get used to the commute. Of course, it will take just ONE buyer to sell it. It looks great, as we did hire a friend to come and paint the living, dining, and kitchen areas a neutral color. He also repainted our Master Bath for us. I spent several hours Thursday and then 4 hours cleaning and stuff on Sunday, then the lady with the Sunday appointment to see it decided she didn't like our street, drove by and didn't even come inside. Hey, at least the house is spotless, right? (AHH!) We're sure God has it all figured out, though, and try not to worry about it too much. If it doesn't sell right away, then we get to put more aside for our Emergency Fund and down payment for the one we want to buy, not to mention the adoption fees should we get "chosen" by a birth mother, so it wouldn't be all bad.

Ben also seems to be doing great in his new position. His "probation" period ends at the end of March, so I am sure he'll feel relieved when he passes that point.

Please say a prayer for my friend Brittany and her little boy Holden. Holden (about 3 years old) has been sick with mastoiditis for at least a good six weeks now, has already had surgery- needs tons of antibotics-- and needs follow up surgery. They are also a long way away from home in Bermuda for the medical care... They had been in Baltimore at John Hopkins and then Britt, Thomas (her younger son), and Holden went to stay with her husband's family so they could be in the US while Holden was recovering and in case there were any complications. Josh (her husband) went back to Bermuda to work. Just not fun to be away from home, without your hubby, and worried about your little one!

God Bless You and Keep You Always!

Dear Dave Ramsey,

Dear Dave Ramsey,

We’re debt free and doing great with step 3!

When Ben and I got married two and half years ago, we had no problem doing a budget together. We read several books, and were able to talk about finances and come to agreements easily.

I was fortunate to be debt free, but only because I had sold a home, been fortunate to make a great profit, and paid off about $30,000 in debt (from credit cards and a car) just before we got engaged. At the time we got married, our debt was about $50,000 plus our house. That came from Ben’s student loans, credit card debt, and car. The car “debt” was actually a lease, but we planned to purchase the car at the end of the lease with all cash, so we treated the total buy out amount as a debt. Clearly, Ben and I were both in need of a total money makeover, but we got to that realization gradually.

We waited until we said “I DO”, but we paid off the credit card balance as soon as we were married with cash I had from the sale of my house. That left us with $45,000 in a consolidation loan, student loans, and the car. We both agreed we eventually wanted to be debt free, and started with the car “debt”. Since paying off the credit card balance we have NEVER carried a balance on a credit card farther than the next pay day. We BOTH learned how easily that got out of hand during our single days and promised one another, before we got married, that, as a couple, it was not going to happen again.

A few months after we were married, my husband read one of your books. He told me about it, and my response was that I was glad he was “gung ho” about getting rid of the debt, but I wasn’t ready to reduce our savings (I think we had maybe $15,000 cash and I did not want to stop contributing to retirement-- I was convinced it would be giving up free money since I had a matching contribution at my job).

Then two summers ago, while driving in Washington and Oregon, Ben brought your podcasts along for the long car ride, and- of course- got me hooked on your plan just as he was. All the sudden, our financial decisions became even easier as we considered “What would Dave do?”. Giving up a little of the extras was easy because of the success stories we read in The Total Money Makeover and on your show.

Our debt reduction was doable, so we didn’t feel we needed to be at the “beans and rice, rice and beans” level. We were serious, and committed, though. We got just a little stricter on our budget, and started holding each other accountable for larger purchases. I learned how much I tend to spend on gifts, so we planned our Christmas expenses and baby shower budget ahead of time. A quick call home would help decide-- “should I get a new microwave because I want one and see one I like at Costco? No, honey, ours works just fine” OR “Sure, we do have enough money for it and that sounds like an excellent deal for clothes you need!” We based our budget on having two pay days a month (we’re both on the same biweekly pay schedule), and as if Ben might not get any bonus money. We threw all of Ben’s bonuses at the debt, we used our tax refunds towards debt, and we used a good portion of those two “extra” pay checks in the 26 pay periods schedule toward debt. Since we’d done our budget without depending on those things, we barely noticed!

I remember one day when I got tired of looking at the smaller student loan of about $7,000, and said, honey, I think we should just use some of our savings and pay that off. I have never had a rush as exciting and refreshing as checking the balances on the students loans and seeing that one gone!

Meanwhile, we found out we are infertile. Now, four years ago, I wouldn’t have batted an eye at choosing to try IVF even though it would cause $12,000 or more in debt and might not even work. I also wouldn’t have considered it a bad idea to just charge the expensive tests Ben needed that weren’t covered by insurance. It just so happens though, that we’d already caught the “Dave Wave” so we did think twice. We paid for all the needed tests in cash, and if we couldn’t afford it, we waited until we could. We prayed about what we should do, and we had total peace when we decided adoption was a better option for us. We couldn’t imagine what it would be like to either become parents with a huge new debt like that, or how awful it would feel if we’d tried IVF, it was unsuccessful, and we’d still have to pay on a loan for it! It didn’t fit for us, especially in light of our Total Money Makeover!

I work as a claims representative for Social Security. I can not express how horrible it is to take claims from hard working people who suddenly find themselves too sick to work, but so deep in debt that they will loose their house. No emergency fund, they just bought a brand new car- with a loan- a year before so they will loose that too, and they are not sure how they will feed their family since they lost their job. No disability insurance- or somehow they don’t qualify, their long time job let them go at a drop of a hat when they mentioned their illness or missed too many days for doctors appointments, and now their Social Security decision will take a good 5 or 6 months.

You know what else is horrible? When a 62 year old comes in wanting to retire and realizes there is no way they can afford to live on Social Security alone-- they have 15 years left on their mortgage, no pension, barely any savings, and their spouse just died and left them nothing except one income instead of what used to be two. They can’t even afford their mortgage anymore.

I share that because my work helps me see the reality that people face on a regular basis. Not one of those suddenly disabled people thought they’d be disabled even three months before it happened. And as for those people who want to retire, I betcha in hindsight, they aren’t thinking all those debts were good decisions. You know what I love, though? Taking claims from people who are facing disability or ready to retire and won’t even need their Social Security check. They’re financially ready for whatever happens. These are the happiest, most relaxed people I meet. People who have lived like no one else and now can live like no one else!

Ben was told he was going to be let go effective January 1st. What a horrible crisis that could have been a few years ago. But not for us in the beginning of 2008! We were close to debt free, had been fortunate to see increases in both of our salaries since we got married, and just had one little $70 monthly minimum payment for the last student loan. We’d already purchased the car, and of course we had our baby step 1 $1000 emergency fund in place. We glanced at our budget, saw living on my salary alone was going to be no problem at all, and didn’t miss a beat. Once he got the news, and while he was still working, we just diverted our debt snowball money to savings in case we needed it for living expenses while he was looking for a new job.

Of course, Ben got a new, better job and ended up without a single day unemployed. And I got transferred to a new office doing the same job I was doing, but in a location I am more excited about. We were approved for adoption, but needed to wait until the next round of classes.

Well, here we are, ages 35 and 38, debt free except our house. We’ll have our baby step 3 of saving 4 months of expenses done in less than 4 months! Our adoption classes begin in March, and we are confident we’ll be able to afford the adoption fees when it comes time for us to bring home a baby to our “forever family”. We’ve enjoyed being able to give just a little more to ministries. Our house is on the market, we’ve been able to pay cash for all the expenses of getting it ready, and we’re looking for a new house that will be a better commute for BOTH of us. We are committed not to place an offer on any house without ours being under contract, and we’ve got a much bigger allowance for our next house than I ever imagined possible. It will be no problem to keep on your plan with that new mortgage, because it will, after all, be our only debt. And we won’t be buying more house than we can afford. And no worries, Dave, we can’t wait to get it paid off long before our kids reach college age!

Regarding Marriage and Money: We’ve always gotten along when discussing finances, but gosh. It did amazing things for our marriage as we repeatedly got to look at one another, realize we just met a goal of paying something off, give a high five, and say “Go Greenwalds!” in unison! I am so proud of my husband for leading us to this point! We became debt free just before Valentine’s Day. The love I felt for my husband at that nice restaurant we could totally afford is more amazing and greater than the love I felt for my husband on our wedding day.

What was the hardest part? Letting go of the comfort and safety net of having savings and contributing to our retirement.

What was the easiest part? Sending that last payment to Sallie Mae! Whew, what fun!!!!!

What was the most surprising? How easy it was to rearrange our budget and come up with so much more money.... boy, were we wasting money on needless things! And we don’t miss those things at all now. It is actually fun to be at a store, tempted by something I see, and be able to say: “nope, don’t need that, I’d rather that $25 be in our emergency fund!”

Thanks for your message, Dave. We love your books and your show. Your teaching has made a huge difference to us, our marriage, and our family. We’ve started on an entirely new path for us and our future children, and we’re skipping along on it!

Jennifer and Ben Greenwald, Atlanta, GA

get the podcasts, order a book, or read more about Dave Ramsey at www.daveramsey.com

Better day today

Just in case I had you worried from yesterday's entry, today was a pretty good day. No, I am not going into a depressive episode... just a little PMS, I'm afraid. Just had a hard week, and I appreciate you being there to read my "journal" entry. It helped a ton, and helped me release those negative thoughts and get back to positive thinking.....

Today was a productive day at work. I love that on a Friday, you know? It makes it feel like the whole week was successful! Not that it wasn't, but you know what I mean.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Assumptions, Judgements, and Gossip

Apparently last week I was feeling a little TOO positive about life in general. Time for a little spiritual warfare I guess. In the past week or so, I have come up against some seriously negative comments about me and my house and my work. Well, you know what, too bad. I know that God created me the way I am, and that I am created perfectly in his image, as we all are. I know that I am loved deeply by my husband and my God. I also know that what PEOPLE think is simply not important. Boy do I have to remind myself of that, though.

In my new job, I keep hearing people whispering about people. You know what I mean-- where they know someone is in earshot, but they want to gossip and talk behind someone's back, so they whisper. (Don't cubicle environments do wonders for us all?!) I don't know if all or some or none of the comments have been about me, I do suspect some have been about me-- I am a new person and good at my job and I'm probably a threat to some and an annoying person to others. It's hard to fight wanting to fit in and make new friends with what I know is right. I do NOT gossip, and I also don't pass judgement on others until I know the full story. I also feel it is important to give others the benefit of the doubt. Loving people unconditionally is something I can often do without a second thought. I have to remember to take things slowly, know my identity in Christ, and not rush into relationships assuming I can trust people. Bottom line is there are lots of people out there, especially in the work place, who care nothing about others and think of themselves first, middle, and last. Trick is to go little by little. The true colors will always shine through.

We had realtors go through our house on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for them leaving comments and ratings about our house. Just never occurred to me that was part of a caravan. Well, they left them all right. My self admitted pride about our adorable house that I've poured all sorts of effort in for the last month went straight out the window, and now I just feel sad and embarrassed and that my house may never sell. WHY? Cause some dumb realtors don't like my gorgeous green walls, and think my de-cluttered kitchen needs more de-cluttering, and one even said our curb appeal was only "fair". I just wanted to crawl into a ball and cry. Our house is gorgeous. And if they really want boring neutral colors in the living room, I guess we'll get some paint. At least according to them, that should mean we won't have to live with beige walls long, right??

A girlfriend called and canceled something with me that she'd planned for us. It probably wasn't personal, but it kinda felt like it was more that she wasn't interested in hanging out with me and less about not feeling up to our plans.

A long time friend voiced her concern that my husband and I are too overweight to raise children. Thanks. That's what I needed to hear in the midst of infertility and waiting to adopt. That I wouldn't be a fit parent unless I do lots of work to loose weight and somehow earn such a privilege. I know in my heart that God created me to be a Mom. I'm not denying that less weight would be a good thing, or saying I'll never loose weight. I am saying that being "fat" does NOT automatically mean you will not be able to "keep up" with your children. So, she's WRONG!

Looking around my house, I am reminded that my Mom repeatedly told me how my house had too many things in it. If it was her, she would have done better. Now that it is de-cluttered and ready to be put on the market, she's given us her approval and thinks the house looks great. She means well, and doesn't mean to be hurtful, but sometimes her extreme truth feels awful. I have to admit that the one compliment meant tons to me, though. In case anyone wonders about my perfectionism, it is in fact a perpetual attempt to gain approval of myself and others. My family does value perfect things, and I do as well. I suppose that needs to be done in moderation, huh?

I'm so thankful for my encouraging friends- and I do have a several! They are the ones that love me as I am, and appreciate me where I am right now. I'm also thankful for my identity in Christ, and pray that I can be reminded of that when I start to care about what others say and think. Unconditional love is hard to come by, but when you find it, know that it is from God. And remember when people say judgemental things, or assume incorrect things about you, or even gossip about you that those things are NOT from God. Doing my best is always enough, and even at my worst, I'm still valuable and loved!

Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:21 .... if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Galatians 2:19&20 ... I have ben crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.

God Rocks

I started my new job on Tuesday. I like my new location a lot. There are lots of subtle differences between the new office and the previous one, but I'll write more on that another time.

I was still tired most of the days this week, but I felt a lot better. Thank goodness for Tamiflu. It definitely sped up my recovery, and it also prevented Ben from getting sick.

We found out that our first required "education class" for our Bethany adoption will be on March 10. That is so much earlier than we expected, and we are absolutely thrilled. God has lined up so much for us in the last six months and now it's just all falling into place! As Dave Ramsey says on his talk show, if you ask us how we are, our response should be "better than we deserve"!!!!

We went house shopping today. We looked in Dunwoody. After my first week at my new job location, we are thinking perhaps Norcross won't be our best option. I stayed at my parents' house on Wednesday and the commute was heavenly. Heading north on I-85 in the morning is opposite traffic and very easy-- but we are guessing that the trip between Norcross and Ben's work near Perimeter Mall will be pretty yucky. Granted, I don't ever want to have to say I live in Dunwoody- because as a Chamblee HS student, I must admit that I have a distinct impression based on personal experience and hearsay that everyone in Dunwoody is a snob. BUT, the schools in Dunwoody are actually rated higher than the ones that feed into Chamblee. They are both in the Dekalb County school system. That's great for our future kids- we're looking at this house purchase as a really long term decision- like 20 years, but it is also great for the investment value of the property. It also occurred to us that Dunwoody will be a better commute for getting to church, Lifegroup, and our friends in Marietta and Decatur.... We'll see!

Tomorrow we are having an Open House and Tuesday our Realtor is including our house in a Caravan Tour of Properties. We've just shown it once so far, but we're hoping for lots more "traffic" in the next week!

Jasmine came over this afternoon and we played with Photo Booth on my computer. Here are my favorites:

Jen's big adventure

Well, I'm pooped. I was feeling better this morning, so Ben took me out to IHop. I knew I couldn't make it to church. Too much people interaction and I don't want to make anybody sick. Before we left, we got the house picked up - I have a feeling someone will want to see it today- though no calls yet. Then out to breakfast and a trip to the storage unit (I just sat in the car). It's a GORGEOUS day today! 60 degrees with a blue sky and a slight breeze. Well, Baxter loved that I opened the windows for fresh air- I've been homebound since Tuesday so fresh air is incredible, not to mention my beautiful windchimes on the front porch! But he was quick to notice the window with no screen which he promptly jumped out! Then instead of begining my overdue nap, I found myself outside trying to catch a quick kitty. Thankfully, despite my ridiculously weak position my favorite 8 yr old neighbor came to my aide. Jasmine helped corner Baxter, And about the 3rd time we actually cornered AND caught him! Whew! That's about all I'm up for today. Time for a nap.

My doctor's excuse showed up and for who knows why, he just made it for Thurs and Fri. But he SAID during my visit he did not expect me to be able to go back to work until my symptoms stopped which would be Tues or Wed. thanks to the Tamiflu meds (that is when I won't be contagious anymore), so I guess he just really wanted to hear from me first thing Monday asking for another excuse! Anyway, I'm still super tired and have an awful cough but am thankfully doing a little better each day. My hope is that tomorrow (Mon), while I will still need to call in sick, that I can go to my old work for a few hours to pack up my desk and then report to my new job Tuesday, just one day late.

In the meantime, I am pretty bored and - as sweet as Ben has been to me- would love to hear from PEOPLE. Give me a call, y'all!

DEBT FREE INFLUENZA JEN

HOORAY! WE'RE DEBT FREE EXCEPT THE HOUSE. YUCK. I'M REALLY SICK.

Ben sent our very last payment to Sallie Mae today (that's student loans) which makes us debt free except our house! Hooray! We have worked hard and made lots of difficult and thought-out decisions to bring us to this point. One day when I am feeling better, I'll write out my pretend call in to Dave Ramsey. We love Dave Ramsey's show and books. That was the plan we tried to follow and the source of our motiviation.

I just got back from seeing my doctor. I had to leave work early on Tuesday and haven't been back. He did a nasal swab test which came up positive for influenza. Maybe you guys had flu shots and there is no worry, but in case you didn't, he said I could have been contagious up to four days before my symptoms started (which would have been Friday). My symptoms started Tuesday with lots of achiness, shallow breathing, and a painful dry cough. I had a temperature of 101 last night- and from what I am reading a high temperature is the biggest sign it is the flu and not just a cold. It moved up into my head now so I have stuffiness and a headache. Of course I am very tired, I pretty much feel like resting and sleeping. Everything including taking my shower before going to the doctor or even driving to the doctor was a big production. (Thankfully, Ben worked from home and took me to the doctor and CVS for my prescription.) The doctor put me on a flu prescription and also suggested Ben go on it as a preventative. My doctor wanted me to let people I had been in contact with know so they could watch for the symptoms... apparently if you get to the doctor within 48 hrs the medicine they can give you is more likely to decrease your time of being sick. Anyway, wouldn't wish it on anyone and I hope nobody gets it... but wanted to let you know in case you do.

In other great news, it looks like our Bethany adoption classes will begin in March, which is much earlier than we expected. Very exciting!

IT'S LISTED!

Well, the house is listed and we have our first showing tomorrow morning. Hooray! You do all this work to make your house perfect and in as great shape as you can, and then you sell it. Ironic that it takes selling a home to make you do everything you ever wanted to do to it.

Ben has a .Mac photo album of the listing pictures... http://gallery.mac.com/ben_greenwald/100034 The sign and lock box will be put out in the morning.... and the listing should be on MLS tonight or tomorrow.... 3410 Lee St, East Point 30344....

I'm headed to Baltimore on an 8:05 Airtran flight in the morning. I am excited as I'll get to see all my Baltimore girls.... I'm going for Kelly's baby shower and will also get to see Mandy, Heather, and Paula! Hooray!

That darn cat!

Well, the house is a crazy mess, but we're making progress. We'd love to get the house on the market next week. The roofer came last week and we have a handy man to do a few internal repairs on Tuesday. Donald, my monthly cleaning guy (yes, I'm spoiled, but he's an excellent deal and visits my Mom and Sister's homes once a month also), was supposed to come today but he graciously agreed to reschedule for Tuesday when the house will be all ready to go and just need to be cleaned..... Mom is coming over tomorrow to help and probably a little on Monday also. Meanwhile, we've gotten a storage unit which is already in use with lots of our books and the TV et al from our Master Bedroom and folding chairs and tables, etc. Richard and Ben will get some "extraneous" furniture over there tomorrow--- thanks, Richard! The market is just bad enough right now that our goal is, well, to do everything we can to make it show like a model home.

Oh, I found out my first day in Norcross is Monday, February 11th. I'm working hard to get all my stuff in my current job all "cleaned up" so I don't leave behind stuff for others to have to worry about when I'm gone. My plan is that I will try to get through Atlanta early enough to avoid the bad traffic.... I've already mapped out an alternative route around I-285 and I'll use my cool iPhone to check out traffic each morning to decide which way to go. They're within a few miles distance of each other so it's just a matter of the clearer traffic route. Anyway, I figure I'll get to work at 7:00 AM and work until 4:30. Hopefully I'll miss some of the worst traffic in the afternoon that way as well. With those hours, I can continue on my every other Monday off which will be great. And perhaps on Wednesdays after Lifegroup I'll stay at my parents' house which is more than halfway between our house and my new office....

So, what about that darn cat? Earlier tonight, he VERY QUICKLY slipped right out the front door when I opened it to take a load of clothes to donate out to my car. So he began the evening exploring our front yard, running across the street, and exploring Ed's front yard (he's our neighborhood soldier that made it safely home in November after a six month tour). I finaly coaxed him in with his late night snack .... er, a light dinner that they don't get until 10PM.

Well, in order for me to have clothes to take out to the car, we started with pulling some stuff out of the attic... all part of the major decluttering and donating stuff project we're knee deep in.... and we left the attic stairs down. Now, remember our ceilings are super high 10 ft ceilings and that means our attic pull down ladder is super long (and wobbly!). Here I was sitting in my great "new" office and I hear a noise above me. Hmmm, maybe a box fell over since I was moving things around. Then I hear another noise up there. Either there's a spontaneous burglar that made it right past Ben and myself without our notice OR.... hey, Ben, where's Baxter? I don't know, honey. Well, I think I do..... and sure enough.... can't believe I missed the visual of the stair climbing.... but I couldn't resist the camera for documentation purposes...


(find Waldo... I mean Baxter....)



Ben gave a great sound affect-- imagine the muppets--- doo, da doo, da doo....

Have a great weekend!

Great News plus a gorgeous house for sale!

I got a position at the Norcross Social Security office!!!!! Hooray! It's the same Claims Representative job I do at the Southlake office, just at the Gwinnett location where I've wanted to work since I moved back to Atlanta! It looks like I'll probably begin at the Norcross office in early or mid- February.

If you haven't heard, Ben was offered a new position as a Jr. Financial Analyst at the Hackett Group. That's the same company he was with near Perimeter Mall, but in a different position that suits "Info Ben" very well. He began on January 2nd. He says he has lots to learn, but likes it a lot. I'm really proud of him.

Great News brings change. We're hoping to relocate to the north side of town. We've loved our East Point time- it's been almost three years now- but our hearts are on the north side. (-: We looked at houses in Norcross over the weekend, and might also consider Chamblee and Dunwoody.

We're expecting to list our house for sale at the end of January. (The market is slow enough right now that even though the house is in great shape we need to get it in model shape before listing it!) Please pass this information to anyone you think may be interested.

Our home was built as a new construction in the Fall of 2004. We're the first and only owners. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath one story home. There are 10 ft ceilings, wood flooring with carpet in the bedrooms, beautiful molding, granite countertops, a lovingly cared for yard, and lots of little extras. According to our builder, GD Evans, the exterior mauve color comes from Historic Atlanta. Our neighborhood, Egan Park, has an active homeowner's association. We are at I-85 exit 73, very near Woodward Academy, the airport, and Delta headquarters. The home is not far from the East Point Marta Station, it is easy to get downtown, and there is lots of shopping at East Point's Camp Creek Marketplace. The following picture was taken in April 2007:



We think our list price will be around $249,900. Let us know if you or anyone you know are interested in looking at it! We'd be happy to show it either before it gets officially listed or after.