My day from hell...

So I decided that I was going to be really good today and go get my emission test for my car and my car tabs almost a month before they are due. I usually wait until the last minute to get that done, but I thought today would be a good day to just get it done and not have to worry about it.

So I drive down to Auburn to the emissions place and get my test done and the guy hands me the paper that says that I passed. I didn't really think my car wouldn't pass since it is only 12 years old and has 122,000 miles on it. It is still in very good shape. Anyway, while we were driving away, Monica looks at the paper and says to me that the paper says the test was for a Toyota pick-up truck. So I figure it will be easy enough to just go back and get the right paper since they gave me the wrong one. Boy was I wrong!

I go back to the place and tell them what happened and they tell me that I would have to test again. Ok, fine I was in a good mood and it really wasn't too hot outside yet so I was fine with it. Well, the manager of the place who happened to be a lady has to do it and as soon as she starts talking to me all I can smell is her disgusting alcohol breath. It smelled like she went to bar and had a few on her lunch break or something. DISGUSTING! Anyway, she does the test and hands me the paper and says that my car failed! What the hell! How could my car have failed an emissions test? It is a Honda Civic with very low miles!

So as a drive away and start contemplating what to do next, I realize that my car is not accelerating very well. I proceed to get on the highway and realize that it is VERY hard for me to even get up to 60 miles per hour. So I look at the temperature gauge on my car and it was all the way up to the H as in VERY FREAKIN HOT! So I start freaking out. I have never had car problems before and now it was happening to me on a hot day, while I was on the highway with 2 kids in the car with me.

I pull off the on the next exit since I knew that there was a park and ride at that one and pull into the parking lot. So I try calling Matt and he doesn't answer his phone, I call my Mom and she doesn't answer her cell phone, home phone or work phone. What the hell am I going to do? So there we sat in my black car with no air conditioning in 80 something degree weather. My kids are getting thirsty, hungry and downright irritating while I am just stunned, freaked out and downright hotter than hell!

I finally get a hold of Matt who of course works an hour away from where I am so I knew that we would have to sit there until he got there unless my Mom would finally answer one of her phones. After Matt starts driving home, I get a hold of my Mom and she comes to our rescue in about 30 minutes. We sat there for an hour and a half and by the time she showed up we were all very cranky, hot and thirsty. Matt showed up soon after she did and looked in my radiator to find it bone dry. It was leaking a while ago, but he thought that he had fixed it. Apparently not. That is why it was overheating. So we fill it up with water and get it home, but now I realize that when my car is sitting at a stop light idling, it feels like it is misfiring or something. I swear that none of this stuff was happening before I went to that damn emissions place!

Why does this stuff have to happen right when we are about to buy a house? I know that my car will be ok after a new radiator and a tune-up, but I swear that that is the last time I am ever going to get my tabs early! I love my car and I hope it last for at least a couple more years until I get a job and am able to buy a newer one that WILL have air conditioning!

It is a hot one today...

Check out the thermometer on my front porch:



I had to take the kids to their dentist appointments today at 3:00 and my car is black and has no air conditioning. It was like an oven in there. I love hot weather, but I would much rather it be like 75-80 degrees. I am so hoping this hot weather will be over soon.

more new house pictures...

entryway from the front door

entryway from the family room looking into the formal dining room and scrapbook room

what the fireplace will look like when finished

what the coved ceiling in the dining room and scrapbook room will look like

what the kitchen cabinets will look like

another picture of the kitchen cabinets

master bedroom

Better pictures of the new house...

another finished house with the same floor plan as the one we want

front of the house

back of the house

back yard

my scrapbook room

family room

bonus room/loft

This may be it...

We think we may have found the house that we are going to buy. Here is the rendering and floor plan of it from the builder:

Personally I think the rendering is extrememly ugly and looks like a barn. We do like the floor plan and the actual finished house looks much better than the rendering. Here is a photo that Matt took of the front of it with his camera phone:

It is only 60% finished so it obviously does not have the garage door on or anything yet, but at least you can see what it looks like a little bit. We will be making our final decision on whether to buy it yet by this week-end. Here are some more photos of the inside that Matt took with his camera phone today:

Looking at the stairs from the family room

Looking into the formal dining room and study

family room

future kitchen from the family room

bonus room

back yard

Here is the description of the house under the listing too:

Inviting craftsman style home presented by Sterling Master Homes in the new development of Bay Hill in ***. Come see all the exceptional standard features such as white painted millwork & 6 panel doors, tile entry, gas fireplace w/tile surround & white painted mantle, quality appliances, custom designed maple cabinets w/European hinges, brushed nickel door hardware, 5 piece mstr bth, Hardiplank siding, fully landscaped yards with sprinkler systems, back patio and much more!

Interior Features
Square Feet: 2,131
Bathroom Off Master Bedroom
Ceramic Tile Floor
Den/Library/Office
Dining Room
Double Pane/Storm Windows
Family Room/Great Room
Forced Air Heat
Pantry
Utility Room
Vinyl Floors
Walk-in Closet
Wall-to-Wall Carpet

We sold our house...

It only took less than 5 days and it was gone. :( After rejecting the first offer for less than asking price we got another offer for asking price then the first lady who put in the original offer panicked and offered asking price plus $1,000.00. We thought that would be it until someone else came in and said that they would pay asking price plus no inspection which made Matt really happy because that means we would not have to do anything to "fix" the house at all. Well, the origial lady who put in the offer for $5,000.00 less than asking and then $1,000.00 over sking price hten said that she would pay asking price plus $1,000.00, plus no inspection. So we agreed on that and it was a done deal. She obviously really likes our house a lot, but I still feel kind of bad for her because if she would have just offered full price from the beginning we probably would have accepted that. Oh, well. I am glad that someone loves our house just as much as I do.

Now we need to find a house for us to live in. This has been a very painful thing for me. I do not want to "settle" on just any house because we need to find one, but there is absolutely nothing that I like in the area where we are moving to. They are all either too expensive or in a neighborhood that I don't like. We came close yesterday to finding some brand new houses that we liked, but it turns out that the neighborhood is having flooding and landslide problems which we do not want to have to deal with. I unfortunately got my hopes up to getting a brand new house too. :( How cool would that be? Living in a house that no one else has ever lived in?

We have six weeks until our houses closes so basically that means that we have 6 weeks to get out. :( I hope we find something within that time that we love or else I guess we will be living in an apartment for a while.

I found the coolest website ever...

For you music lovers out there you have to try it out. It is totally free and everything so don't worry. It is called Pandora and you basically put in all of your favorite songs and it finds songs by the same artist or someone similar and plays music for you. I am totally into jazz right now so I am able to hear a lot of stuff that I never would have heard before. I love it! Pandora.com

We are selling our house...

I can't believe that it is actually happening, but yes, we are selling our house. We started showing it on Monday and just got an offer on it today for $5,000.00 less than asking price. I have never sold a house before so I have no idea what is standard for this kind of thing, but I was extremely offended by that offer. We have done so much to this house that I am having a hard time wanting to even sell it right now. I feel like people should want to pay more for it than we are asking because it is so nice. I have lived in this house for 7 years now and even though it is way too small for our family I really love it. I think that with all of the upgrades that we have done to it that someone else will love it just as much. We are going to reject this offer and hope that another one will come. After all, it has only been 3 days. I still haven't found a house where we are moving that I love yet. I just hope that it all works out. I hope that we will find a house that we love and someone will love our house enough to want to pay what we are asking for it as well. Hopefully it will happen soon too. :)

I'm bored...

50 questions...

1. Name and Nickname (if you have one)? Real name is Hillary and most people call me that. Every once in a while people will call me Hill.

2. Are you named after someone? I don't think so.

3. Astrological Sign? Libra

4. Do you have a journal? Not a current one.

5. Do you still have your tonsils? yep

6. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Usually

7. First feature you notice on someone you are attracted to? Their eyes of course...

8. What is on your mouse pad? I don't have one...

9. Book you are reading right now? Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

10. Do you collect anything? Elvis stuff and bunnies

11. Favorite TV Show Current show? Just one? Prison Break I guess...

12. Do you wear glasses or contacts Glasses? Nope

13. Last movie you saw Theater? Honestly I don't even remember.

14. Favorite vacation spot? Oregon coast

15. Shoe size? 8 and a half or 9

16. Do you eat breakfas? I try to

17. Favorite cereal? Cap'n Crunch or Honey Smacks

18. Favorite lunch meat? Salami and roast beef

19. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Only my ears...no tattoos yet.

20. What color is your bedroom carpet? Dirty!!!

21. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what store would it be? Pottery Barn

22. What celebrity(dead or alive)would you like to have lunch with Right now? Prince...duh!

23. If you were given a round trip ticket anywhere in the world, where would you go? Either England or Australia.

24. What time do you go to bed? 12:00 or 1:00

25. Favorite fast food Right now? Wendy's

26. Dream car? I am really liking the Honda Suv's right now, but I would love a Suburban if it didn't sost so much for gas.

27. Do you wear a watch? Nope, I am allergic to most metal so I can't wear most watches.

28. Fabric softner or dryer sheets? Dryer Sheets

29. Dine in or carry out? Dine in

30. Mystery or romance novels? Romance

31. Early or late riser? When given the choice, late.

32. Mayo or Miracle whip? Mayo of course! Miracle Whip is gross!

33. Dill or sweet pickles? Dill

34. Chocolate or vanilla? vanilla!!!!

35. Cake or pie? pie

36. Steak or chicken? Steak for sure!

37. Gold or silver? Silver

38. Roses or carnations? Roses, but I do like that carnations last longer.

39. Croutons or bacon bits? croutons

40. Disney or Warner Brothers? Warner Brothers

41. Desk, messy or organized? messy!

42. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi, but I only drink Diet Coke.

43. Summer or winter. Summer!

44. Chinese or Mexican food? Both!

45. Rolling Stones or The Beatles? Rolling Stones! I hate the Beatles

46. Baseball or Football? I like both, but if I had to choose then baseball of course.

47. White or wheat? White...I do not eat wheat!

48. Action or drama? Action

49. Dark or milk chocolate? I prefer white chocolate, but if I had to choose then I would choose milk because I hate dark.

50. MAC or PC? PC