Step 86: HOME!

(picture taken just north of Bend, OR)

I woke up this morning to Daughtry singing in my head...

"I'm coming home....

Back to the place where I BELONG..."

It was great!

Then my wee ones starting coming in for their morning "check-in" with HUGE smiles plastered on their sweet faces.

This is it ~

one more super HOT day to endure

(in the 100's)

and then we are off to Heaven... er Oregon.

I want to be there today ~

Lance is still working and we don't pick up the Suburban until 6pm...

so one more day...

*sigh*

Bliss!

Step 85: Ready or Not Here We Cooooooome....

Okay, so these ducklings are so excited...

To go to Sunriver and see these people...
Fan-C is so excited to be competing in this again...

We are are going to be watching Team Stanley do a lot of this...

And finally... I will NOT be doing this...

but will be watching and rooting and loving every minute of the Oregon adventure.

Oregon Countdown: ONE more super HOT day!!!!

Step 84: I left my heart(s) in Oregon...

This is a VERY small sampling of the people I am missing right now... my family.

I just grabbed a (few) pics ...

I love them something fierce.

Wishing I was in Oregon right now...

Talysha my rockin' chica and the BEST babysitter EVER.

Charbroski and Cat (and baby Noah too)

Bridget (and Keven with their matching chins... )

Mr. Jayce and Miss Mimi (Tiana) ~~~

Justin (my first corsage...)

Happy 1st Anniversary Jeannette and Kevin (today!)... the kids call him Uncle Beaver Kevin since they already have an Uncle Duck Keven. Yeah, makes for a great Civil War Football game in our family... Kevin McHugh loves the Beavs like we love the Ducks...

Papa Lillie...

My Maudrecine...

Keven, Lauri and their crew... These kids ROCK!

I can't find pics of Angie & Matt.

I can't find pics of Brad - Kim and their crew...

I love ya'll...

Miss you so much.

Oregon Countdown: TWO super HOT days

Step 83: Team Stanley (once again)

It's that time of year once again...

Pacific Crest Race weekend in Sunriver.

aka the Stanley family reunion

This year I will be infection free in the armpit...

No worries on the 'time of the YEAR' ...

aka swimming can happen daily (pending the Oregon weather)

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I could care less if it RAINS everyday, although I'm hoping that it doesn't for the rest of the Stanley family sake... they don't like rain and cold. I will be sitting in it reading my book - yep, can be done. I will be walking and dancing in the precious rain, letting my skin have moisture once again.

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I can't wait... I want to see clouds, rain, my family, baby K and sooooo much more.

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Oregon countdown: 3 super HOT days

ONLY THREE!!!!!!

Step 82: I wanna come HOME...

(pic from the fabulous Hwy 101)

Part of "Home" by Michel Buble

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome

(hey they are both on the strip)
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine (family), how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home...

So I got to visit with my mom this morning and then talk for a while with my little sister tonight. (and my fabulous nieces)

I love to talk to them but I want to SEE them so bad.

I heard Buble start singing this on my i-tunes and the tears poured down my face...

I wanna come home.

Oregon countdown: 9 super HOT days

Gettin' Giddy...

So excited to be going to see my family!!!

Excited to be officially meeting our newest Stanley family member.

Spend almost two weeks out of the desert wasteland.

Get to see Kimmy and meet baby K.

Go see Eclipse with my niece.

Get to basically snuggle and kiss on my lil' big man Noah for two solid days.

Watch the Creswell 4th of July parade / Fireworks at Bridget's.

(two things I didn't think would happen again)

Oregon Countdown: 11 super HOT days

Step 81: Rub you tummy, pat your head and oh yeah... ONE MORE THING....

Lance and I have been blessed to own two homes during our eight years together.

We are embarking once again in home ownership here in the desert wasteland that is Las Vegas. We have been searching, bidding and re-searching for over two months now.

We found a HOME.

The loan process this time has been HELL. Not due to our finances or our credit... just due to the banks basically wanting so much documentation of everything since they are still stinging from all the mass foreclosures that is the market right now. Just when I think I have supplied them with EVERYTHING including our blood types (j/k) ... they come back and ask for MORE! Today they asked for a copy of the cancelled check from the Earnest money and a letter stating why IB Roof Systems is named L.J. Stanley and Assoc. (that is Lance's dad's name). I sent that. Then they called and wanted to prove that Lance wasn't the "hidden" owner of L.J. Stanley and Assoc.... WHAT?!? Lance's middle name is WAYNE... not a J name. They didn't care... too close. "Send your complete returns for 2008 and 2009 and a letter from L.J. Stanley and Assoc dba IB Roof Systems stating that Lance is not an owner or stock holder and has never been..."

I FLIPPED MY LID!!!!!

This is a sore subject in our home.

Lance is the oldest of five sons. The other four all own (along with their parents) I B Roof. He is not an owner... basically to become an owner the other parties involved have to be willing to give up some of their 'shares' of the company and give them to Lance. I think one was willing to... the others refused. So Lance is not an owner and probably NEVER will be. My attitude came pouring out at the poor loan processor. (I apologized right afterward.) I had to go to the head of HR (again) and ask for a letter stating that Lance has never owned and does not own L.J. Stanley and Assoc. I had to have her include that he was hired on a certain date as JUST an employee and still is JUST an employee of the corporation. This stung... I felt bad for Lance... more salt in a festering wound. We got it done and faxed again...

So Monday we'll see what else they are going to want to bleed out of this dried up rock.

I feel like I am rubbing my tummy, patting my head and jumping up and down all at the same time and then the bank keeps saying, "Oh yeah... one more thing."

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Oregon countdown: 12 super HOT days.

Countdown...

Oregon countdown: 15 super HOT days

Step 80: Hi, I'm Stephanie and I'm an A/Cholic

We had the lovely experience of losing our power in the height of the blazing sun here in the desert wasteland. At first I was calm. Surely thousands have called NV Energy and the power will be back on. Hmmmm, maybe I will call just to be sure.
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"We show no outages for your area..."
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W. T. Freak????!!!!????

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"We will dispatch a unit out to your area ASAP."
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Cue the PANIC!!!!
Our house was cool... at first.
The kids were still running around and so I asked them to find something to do where they could sit still, thus creating less 'heat'.
House begins to heat up.
Panic level is rising...
I am telling Lance that I will be staying at a hotel for the night.
Fan-C is trying to fill up her water cup from the fridge auto ice/water dispenser. She is in tears cuz she can't get any water. (tap water here is GROSS)
I'm chatting with my mom on the phone trying to keep the panic level at a dull roar...
Telling everyone the basics.
Don't open the fridge/freezer.
Don't open the front door/garage door.
Stop running through the rooms, no you are NOT creating wind by running... just heat.

.
I'm sweating now... 108 degrees and the POWER goes out in the DESERT.
Aren't they equipped to handle power levels being up due to the human race choosing NOT to die from heat stroke?
This is the 'beginning' of the HELL SEASON... how many more power outages am I facing?
This is my nightmare coming true... no A/C...

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Finally, the hummmmmmmmmm... the fridge has kicked back on.
All is well... the A/C is blowing and calm has returned to the desert.
Our power was off for about an hour...I KNOW, I'm a wimp.

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Oregon countdown: 16 super HOT days

Step 79: Five things I'm (trying) to love about the desert...

1. Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (yes, I realize you can have these anywhere but I just ate one and it was so yummy on this excessively hot day)

2. Lance hasn't been complaining about my fan running all night long... in Oregon he told me almost on a daily basis that I was freezing him out.

3. Playing at the Splash Park after dark... thank you for having these parks available until 11pm at night. (All FREE)

4. No need for socks. Just seeing Lance in socks everyday makes me hot. Flip flops rule here...

5. A/C, A/C, A/C and ummmmm, A / C!

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Oregon countdown: 17 super HOT days

Step 78: Hot Tamales

To pay homage to the HOT desert wasteland that is now my home,

I am eating Hot Tamales tonight.

I love these bright red spicy beauties.

They are my go to sweet of choice when I am stressed.

I'm not stressed today... just HOT.

I like them so WAYYYY more than chocolate ~ little tidbit I'm sure you didn't know.

Maybe I can convert a few of you if they made chocolate covered Hot Tamales... hmmmmm... that sounds good... even to me... usually the chocolate I will eat has peanut butter included somehow.

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So here is to 'Excessive Heat Warnings' and enduring 100 + degree temps even after the sun has been down for hours...

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Oregon countdown: 18 super HOT days

Step 77: Let's Limbo!!!!!

We are supposed to be closing on our house this week. At this point I don't think that it will happen. The bank still has not sent the official letter accepting the short sale of the property we are trying to buy. They have approved the offer... our appraisal came out great... and still no letter. Once this elusive letter is received then we have to have a full home inspection... our loan docs are waiting. They are done. Just waiting for the bank negotiator to stop stalling and freaking send the letter.
In the meantime, we are at the end of our lease. The landlord wants to know what our plans are. Are we moving? Do we want to extend the lease? He wants to start showing the house to new potential renters. I am putting him off for now... but I don't know how much longer.
So if the bank comes back and wants to get the full value of the appraisal ($15K higher then the approved offer) then we are walking. So then do we look for another home to buy? Do we find another home to rent? What do we do?!?
I'm a NOT a fan of the land of LIMBO. I hate this rental house (due to two stories) but finding a single story rental in our price range is not an easy task.
Please bank-negotiator... make up your mind!