Back to Normal

What is Normal? is there any such thing as normal?  Is normal what you eat, what you say, is normal the foods you eat, is normal your job and where you live?  For everyone Normalcy is something different.  For Dee and I Normal is having a place of our own.  Last week we finally closed on our home and moved in.  We now have Electricity, Gas, Trash, but we are working on getting the water in our name, but don't worry we have water we are just not paying for it yet.  It have been a long journey, but we made it and we are much better off for it.

We are now in the process of unpacking which will take some time because things need to be cleaned and as for the dishes this will take some time because we do not have a dish washer, oh wait yes we do I'M the dish washer.  The thing is that i don't mind because we are finally back to normal.

Moving

Moving can be extremely overwhelming, but also can be rewarding rewarding.  This week we will be moving into our new place out in Hemet.  For the past month have have been cleaning, painting, and trying to get the grass to come back alive.  It has been a very rewarding experience because we have been homeless for eight months.  Yesterday June 22, 2008 i began the final phase of the moving process, the moving of our things.  I will continue to do this in small trips until I can get a u-haul either Monday or Tuesday.

It's weird, but it still has not hit me yet that after all the trouble we have been through we finally have a place of our own, but I guess once I sleep there for a while it will all seem real.

so since we will be moving I will not be able to blog until we get our internet up and running.  So don't miss me too much because I will return.

All Things Must Come To An End

As of today June 20, 2008 at 4:28 pm the headaches are over.  It has been a long and hard road which we have traveled, but it is over.  Dee and I have been looking and trying to buy a home since the beginning of the year.  As you may have read in an earlier blog (What A Pain) you know we have had nothing but problems in this process.  We have continued to have problems since then, but today we can now breathe.  

I miss having our own space, I miss having a yard to work in, I miss having a garage to put my car in.  I miss not having to wait to do laundry, I miss having a place we can call home.  What I don't miss is moving, which is the next stop on our little trip we call home buying.

Life

Do you go through life just moving through the motions?  Why does it always take a tragedy for you to re-examine your own life?  Why do you always tell yourself after the fact that if I had only said this or done that.  There are so many things out there in the BIG scary world that can effect not only you, but those around you.  Why is it so hard for us to say the things we need to or should say to those we love?

We tend to take life for granted and never think that it could happen to me or you.  I hope the next time we see our loved ones, our friends, family and those we care about how much they mean to us.  It only takes but a second to for an accident, poor choice or a mistake to change so many lives.  It also takes but a second to say I Love You.

Life is precious, take that second.

Friendship

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a friend, Not everyone can call a friend a brother,  Not everyone can date there friendship back to their teenage years.

Many people come and go in life and we can call them friends, but when it comes down to it will they forgive after a fight, will they tell you how it is, will they stick up for you when your in trouble, will they bail you out when your stuck, will they be there when they are needed?  This is what I call a friend.  This is what I have been blessed with for the past 20+ years.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one"

R.W. Emerson

The Day Of

I just wanted to take this time to say congratulations to my Friend Mark and his new bride Sarah.  They were wed on the Queen Mary this morning at 10:30 am.  Now I know that they have probably heard a lot of advise on what to do to be happy and I will be one of those guys who adds his two cents.  Just remember that we all have our ups and downs when two people come together.  Just remember you are now a team in this game we call life and the best best way to be a winner at this game is to be yourself.  Change will come, but we are still who we are.

I wish you both all the best and thank you for allowing Dee and I to be there on your special day.

The Day Before

When you go through life you always wonder what will become of your friends when you get older.  I have two friends that I have know for years and are very special to me.  Tomorrow one of those friends is to be married on the Queen Mary.  Know I have know this guy since 1988/1989 which makes that 20 years and he finally has found someone whom he is ready to spend THE REST OF HIS LIFE with.  Tomorrow at 10:30 am my friend Mark will start a new chapter in his life.  There will be bumps and bruises as they get to know each other more and more, but in the long run it makes it all worth while.  I wish him and his bride all the best and I hope that his marriage is as wonderful as mine.  

Good luck to you and remember there is no problem that can't be solved.

What a Pain

Real estate is a huge problem for people at this time.  There are people losing their house left and right and there is still more people about to lose their homes as well.  Back in October of last year Dee and I sold our house thinking if we don't get out we might get stuck in a place we don't want to be.

We took a break and in the beginning of the year we began to look for homes.  We went round and round with where do we want to live and who do we use.  once we were able to establish this we began the search.  We began looking at short sales and let me tell you there is no such thing a short sale even though many agents would tell you other wise.

After several months of looking we finally found a home we liked and it was only by chance.  Our agent and I were out looking at home in the area and nothing was looking promising, when our agent remembered a house that was close, but we did not have any info.  when we drove around the block we came to a house that our agent said looked familiar.  Well, we stopped and our agent made a call when I looked around.  Upon looking around I found an open door and went in.  Once I was in I new this was the home and we made an offer.  Dee had yet to see the house because she was at work and was not with us.

Now that you know the good part here comes the trouble.  The process of buying this home has been going on since April and we have yet to close.  The problem is that the banks that own these homes are all in different states and the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.  Our offer was accepted (finally) and we were a go.  During this time we continued to run into to issues with the escrow company as they are not following through with agreement we signed with the sellers agent.  Why and how they can do this I don't know, but we will get through this one way or another.

Dee and I are ready to move forward due to the fact that we have been homeless for eight months and have been living with family.  The other reason we are ready is that dee has been working two jobs and is unable to move on.  I know there is nothing we can do and we will get there eventually, but I am spent and  am ready for my own space.

So now that I have blabbed on about our issues I guess what my intent was is to warn you that even though it is a buyers market and there are some great buys out there get ready for a bumpy ride.  This has been a roller coaster and the one thing you need to have is a good agent and a good loan officer because with out them your problems could be worse then ours.

End of the Year.

Today was the last day of school and I am now off for the Summer.  So what should I do? First I plan on creating the official Still Life Photo web page (with the help of Google).  Here you will be able to view and purchase photos from my portfolio.  Second, Dee and I will be moving into our new home (if we ever close) and  Third, I plan on continuing the background investigation with the Riverside Sheriff's Department.  So lots to do and time to get busy.

Killing Me!!

So, as I was saying in an earlier post it is hard to find that moment of peace when you are in the dentist chair until you get to leave.  The problem is the pain and the agony soon return and sometimes the Tylenol doesn't work.   As I sit hear cleaning up my blog the throbbing in my mouth comes back and brings back those bad memories from that two hour time in "the chair".

So how does one escape the pain?  

My thought is that we never sit in "The Chair"!

The Chair

Its kind of funny that i sit here and talk about taking time out of you day to enjoy life and your surroundings when today is the day you have nothing to enjoy.  Today was the trip to the dentist where a crown is needed.  When you have to sit in the chair and listen to the drill in you mouth and the smell that comes with it you have a hard time finding that moment.  Now we know that we will always have those kind of days, but the attitude can be changed when we can walk out of the office and drive away.  This is when you think to yourself could I have prevented this or was I destined to go through the agony? I guess we will never know, which is why we take life one day at a time.

Open to all

Well I have just sent out a mass e-mail out to family and friends to invite them to my new blog.  I wish you all a welcome and I hope you enjoy.

New To This

Well I have just finished for the night and will continue to grow the blog on another day.  It may take me awhile to get going, but I am ready to go.  Stay tuned for more for it is on its way.

Cheers

Day One

Do you ever wonder where the time goes?  Do you ever wish you could snap a photo and live in the moment? This is what I plan to do and you can join me in living in the moment.  Still Life Photo is a blog I have created to share my moments and my thoughts.