The Simple Life - Week 1

Really, had I known things would have gone the way they have, I would contacted a major network and gotten a reality TV show out of the deal.

As you know, J and I are building a house that won't be ready until probably July. We were living in a "rental" that J's dad owned but he sold it so we are in the process of moving. I briefly mentioned in a past blog that we had found a temporary housing solution.

If you are reading this blog, then you most likely know me - at least a little bit. Enough to know that I like nice things. Enough to know that I have certain standards, a certain way of living that is comfortable for me. Enough to know that the house we have been living in the past year was somewhat of a stretch for me as it was a very small, older home and only had 1 bathroom. And because I think my brothers read this, I will even admit that I am somewhat, just a tiny bit, spoiled. There, I said it.

And you probably also know that I tend to keep things to myself. I don't love to share about me. So, it hit me, as I was going through all the drama of the week, that most of my friends and family didn't know the scoop.

So are you ready?

Our temporary housing is a 900 square foot trailer.

(imagine sound of needle screeching across a record)

And I can think of at least 3 of my friends who laughed out loud when they read that. Not because there is anything wrong with living in a trailer but because they are picturing me living in one. But I figured I could handle anything as long as I knew it was temporary. Well, this week has already shown me "not so much." I HATE IT HERE. Why? Not because it is a trailer per se but because...

- I found evidence while moving in that we aren't the only tenants. That's right...mice. They TERRIFY me. The first night we were here, I decided to do a load of laundry. When I opened the washer to move the clothes to the dryer, I thought I got a whiff of something awful smelling. At first I thought it must be because we are on WELL water here. But then I got another whiff. So I am sticking the clothes up to my face, literally touching my nose to them and smelling thinking "what is that smell?" And as I turned to get another piece of clothing out, I saw it - little Mickey Mouse mashed up against the inside of the washing machine. Oh, you know I freaked out. I stomped right outside to where my true love was and threw the first of many fits I have thrown this week.

- my geriatric dog doesn't deal well with stress, like the stress of moving into a new place. Perhaps she is spoiled as well because the first night here, she proceeded to throw up. Then, a day later, the illness moved to the other end. I had to take her outside every two hours all night long. I hated her by morning.

- my 3 year old son loved his other house and doesn't understand why we moved. I used to sugar coat it but now I just say "because your Poppy sold it." I am so tired of trying to explain all this to him. And tired of not being able to enjoy him at all because I am constantly packing, loading, unpacking, etc. He is not a big fan of the new digs - guess he gets that from me.

- I had NO Internet connection for 5 days. Another reason it has taken me so long to post.

- the first night we were here, I turned the TV on to find that I had 4 channels to choose from. 19, 25, 31, and 54 (LOCAL) which meant no "Diego" or any of the other heavily relied upon shows to entertain the Prince.

- we have well water and I don't even know what that means.

- when the wind blows, it sounds like a herd of horses trampling on the roof. J and I got up and turned on the weather because we thought there must be severe weather - nope, just a flimsy excuse for a roof.

- we had lumber stolen from our property which put the framers behind half a day because the material they needed to lay the floor was stolen. J had to file a police report and order more lumber to replace what was stolen. Talk about unneeded added stress. That doesn't have anything to do with living in a trailer but it happened this week, so it is relevant.

- we have had to obtain a 3rd storage unit (we have our own wing) to store all of our stuff. And I threw so much away and gave away bags and bags to Goodwill.

- my husband refuses to ask anyone to help us move so it makes it even more stressful. He and I have come close to some scuffles. But then we make jokes about how it will be awesome to go ahead and get our first domestic dispute on the record while living in the trailer. Seriously, if it wasn't for the jokes, I would have cried. Oh, wait a minute, I did, but I will save that for another post.

So, if you are still with me, you have a better idea of what I have been up to this past week. Only 15 more to go!