The Magic of the Internet

I made a fun discovery online yesterday--an online mom's group for moms in Katy! It's a forum designed to connect moms to one another to schedule play dates, book club, nights out, etc. It may sound dorky, but it's a goldmine for me! I know that having Henry will make it a bit easier to meet people once we move, but it is nice to find a resource like this.

I have also been exploring my teaching options once we move. I have already begun the process of obtaining certification in Texas. It is really such a rip-off. The first step involves me sending in copies of my Illinois certificate, transcripts, and, of course, a big check. The people at the Texas State Board of Education call this the "Review of Credentials." Once that is complete, I will most likely have to take one exam, pay more money, and get fingerprinted before I can officially be certified. I am not planning on teaching at the K-12 level right now, but I thought it made sense to have the certificate in case something comes up. What I really want to do is teach adjunct at the University of Houston because it is more flexible and part-time. (That was the point of getting the second Masters in English!) They have a "learning center" right in Cinco Ranch, so it would be very convenient! Plus, they are looking for English/writing teachers. It would be nice to have a way to make more connections once we move, and I miss teaching! (I just don't want to do it full time right now!)

Cleaning and Croup

Now that we have settled our living situation in Houston, we've been preparing our condo here in Chicago. While I am excited to have a house with room, leaving our city abode is certainly bittersweet. Our little condo is where Andy and I started our married lives together, so it's more than just a place. It's a place that is filled with memories. A place we brought Henry home to. A place we've poured work into. A place we will miss. We've been busy taking all of our extra "stuff" to storage, in an attempt to stage our house. We've also been cleaning and organizing non-stop. Well, it was non-stop until we were sidetracked by a Croup attack. Poor Henry came down with a high fever and the tell-tale sign of the Croup's seal bark a couple of days ago. We ended up at the pediatrician yesterday for a steroid to help with his breathing. It is so scary to see your baby struggling to catch his breath. We are lucky that Henry has been so healthy, and this was his worse illness to date. So, I have been putting our moving appointments on the back burner.

Prior to the Croup attack, we met with two potential Realtors, had an inspection and had an appraisal. We also had Al, our "Stuff surveyor" over to determine the logistics of the move. If we get it our way, the packers will pack our things on June 30th and July 1, with the actual furniture being moved out on July 2. Andy and my dad will drive from Chicago, with Kirby, on July 2. My plan is to hang out for a couple of days and fly down on July 4th.

So, now let's hope Henry starts to feel better so we can go out and enjoy Chicago!

Appointments Galore!

We had heard that once the relocation paperwork was submitted, we'd be deluged with phone calls for various appointments. Boy, that is the case! So far we've had our condo inspection (passed with flying colors), and we're meeting two potential Realtors this week. We also are anticipating a Friday visit from Al, "stuff surveyor extraordinaire." Al works for the moving company, and his job is to determine the size of truck and crew needed for the move. I've also spoken to a couple of appraisers, so that is underway as well.

In the meantime, we have been faxing pounds of paper back and forth to our agent, trying to finalize our new home. It makes me wonder why there is not a better system for electronic signatures. We are pretty much set, and the next step is the inspection of our new home on our end. Because we won't be able to be there, our agent goes. The home is relatively new (2005), so we are not anticipating many issues, but we are interested to see what the inspector finds.

On a side note, the weather has been perfect here in Chicago this week. I know I complained during the winter, but, really, there is nothing like Chicago in the Spring/Summer. On the other hand, this morning we found two sticks of string cheese on our car and two slices of bologna on our patio. This could have been the result of a few things:
1--The rats that raid the trash and live under our back steps. Yes, I am serious. It's like Nimh down there.
2--Our idiot next door neighbors (renters). They hate us because they think we called the cops during their "jean shorts party" last summer (We didn't, even though we should have because they peed in our parking spot and threw a beer can at our door.) These same neighbors called Andy "Amelia Earhart" when we returned from the BP Holiday Party because he was wearing a scarf. Funny, yes, but, because we can't stand them, it wasn't that funny. (Although, thinking about it now is funny.)
3--The fabled raccoon who has been making his way around our alley. This I can't confirm. He's merely a legend at this point sighted by another neighbor.
So, while I love Chicago in the summer, I hate the fact that it results in bologna on my patio.

Our house!

We got word late today that we got the house. We're still working on a close date. (They wanted to move it up and we didn't want to.) It is hard to believe that we will really be living in a house! Keep in mind that we have been in a 1600 sq. ft. condo for 5.5 years! Here she is:


We love the neighborhood, and it's on a corner cul-de-sac lot. We are leaving a lot behind in Chicago: great friends, a great city, and priceless memories, and it will certainly be hard starting anew. But, the new house will be fun! Now, start planning when you want to come visit. We can actually accommodate visitors on something other than a couch!

Offer time...

Without giving too much detail (in the name of not jinxing anything), we made an offer on a house late yesterday! We finally got the information we needed regarding who would be handling our relocation, and we were able to get in touch with that person yesterday, who gave us the go-ahead! More to come....

Baby Steps

Well, any news is good news at this point, and Andy learned that we are, in fact, part of the group assigned to a Houston-based relocation company called Weichert. He is now trying to get in touch with our contact there to find out if we can make an offer on the house we like. Apparently, because so many people are being relocated to Houston, BP decided to use a local company to assist. This makes sense, but it means that another set of paperwork has to be sent to the new company, so, once again, we are playing a waiting game.

Time. Is. Standing. Still.

Honestly, I am ready to blow a gasket. We have been trying to get everything square with paperwork that needed to be submitted to Hewitt (HR). Then yesterday we learned that Hewitt may not be handling the relo. I really hope that is not the case because I just want to be able to be in touch with our relocation consultant, who becomes our guide through the next few months. Our official relocation date is June 23rd, which puts us within 60 days of the move (and within the time frame to finally be in touch with our consultant). It seems that every step of this process has been ridiculously slow. And now time matters because there is a home we'd really like to make an offer on. Why can't we? Well, we need to talk to our relocation consultant first. This is, of course, difficult when one doesn't have a consultant. I just wish someone had an easy answer. I was postponing this post, hoping it'd be more positive, but, right now we really need some good vibes. Let's hope that the next check-in will be better.