Disclaimer

Dear everyone,

Good news: we moved into our new house a week ago- finally and officially, meaning we are actually sleeping there now, instead of just paying rent while they continue to paint and remodel the house. Frankly, I couldn't stand the terrible stench of the oil paint. It gives me a headache after 30 seconds. So we kept staying at my parents house until the painting stopped and the odor died down. The smell still lingers several weeks later, but at least it's not headache-inducing. Perhaps you've heard me vent about this before, but now it's in writing: I am so very annoyed that the landlord and her little remodel crew chose to delay their remodel projects until the very day that we moved our things in and started paying rent. (PS that was back in late September! ...grumble grumble) The house was vacant for MONTHS before we moved in. Talk about procrastination. In the first 3 weeks we were paying rent, we slept there a total of 2 nights. Count 'em: TWO. And when this darling landlord sent me an email asking for my thoughts on the remodeling matter, I went ahead and shared my honest thoughts, and suggested that perhaps a slight deduction in rent might be appropriate for the inconvenience. She shot back with such a heated email, accusing us of not fully disclosing our financial situation and asking for a handout, and that if we won't be able to come up with the rent then we should possibly consider looking elsewhere to live because their ability to subsidize our rent is not great, and we better get these things ironed out before it's to late because when this is all over she'd still like to be able to count my mother as a friend... and on and on and on... GEEZ LADY! Talk about misinterpretation. I don't believe that's what I said at all. And since when does our rental arrangement have anything to do with her relationship with my mother? I've personally never met my landlord, but I suspect she's slightly unstable, to put it kindly. She lives in Minnesota while her husband is doing his medical fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and yet she still tries to micromanage everything that goes on from 10 states away. What a nut. She also sent me a list of things she expects from us. My favorite was "I would prefer that you not have any large parties or gatherings, and I would like you to let me know before you have guests over. Guests will do much more damage to your home that you would never do." So I'm supposed to call my landlord in Minnesota to get permission for every baby shower, movie night, and before the home teachers come over? I'll try to remember. Hopefully I can find her number.

{sigh} It's good to have that off my chest. Thanks guys.

On to the disclaimer: Now that we are in our new home, we are not currently set up with our chosen cable and internet package. Rhett is currently researching all providers to see who has the best HD options for all the games he wants. I couldn't care less as long as I can watch Prison Break and Survivor and update my blog now and then. But for now, no internet. Hence the lame wallpaper post stood strong for more than 2 weeks. I really apologize for that. But I now apologize for the near future of the blog. I cannot promise a regular update for the next few weeks. Confession~ I'm writing this blog from the computer lab at school. I don't intend to frequent this place for the sake of blogging.

So that's about it ladies and gents! You're all invited over for a tour once the fresh coats of oil paint stop stinking.

Ask me if I prefer sanding off wallpaper glue

Well, to be honest, I don't like it one bit. That's what I've been doing for the last 3 hours in the master bedroom of the new house we just moved into. The geniuses who put up that gorgeous textured wallpaper some 15 years ago decided to plaster it right onto the drywall. No paint, no primer. So you're pretty much ripping off layers of drywall with each strip of wallpaper removed. But the glue, oh the glue. So thick, so much sanding. I'm covered in a white film of microscopic dust from sanded wallpaper glue.

Why? What'd you do today?

Good things

Sometimes this life blesses us with good things. And sometimes unpleasant things are good things in disguise.

We found renters for our house! It was a perfect match. They needed to move in quickly and we needed to find renters quickly. They signed the rental contract on Sunday night. The next day they informed us that now they can't move in until October, and they need some flexibility in coming up with the deposit, and they can only write a post-dated check for now, and so on... unpleasant details, and we will probably end up paying for all of September, but then we're done. This is still a good thing.

Rhett starts a new job at America West Bank in Layton tomorrow. It is not exactly the job he applied for, and it's even further from the job he wanted, but he is excited about it and sees it as a personal challenge to see how quickly he can advance to the job he is aiming for. So this is a very good thing.

Rhett was commission-only at his job in Las Vegas. When times are good, it's a good thing. When times are bad, it's a bad thing. But even during the rough times, he still did relatively well, at least compared to any income I personally have ever made. At this new job Rhett is starting at the bank, his annual income will be about what he used to make in one or two months. But this position is the starting point to grow into the position he truly wants. It is up to him to prove how quickly he is capable of earning that position. The long-term opportunity is huge, but the short-term income is small. I think times will be hard for a while. Humility is a good thing.

As you probably know (since I complained about it regularly), I was unemployed for my season spent in Las Vegas. I probably applied for more than 50 jobs at the 7 local hospitals in the Las Vegas valley. I was admittedly cocky - I thought I was a shoe-in. I had the skills and the experience for the jobs I was applying for. But my efforts never produced any results. So I re-did my resume, re-did my cover letter, re-applied for all the jobs, and nothing. And now, just 5 minutes ago, I got a phonecall from Centennial Hills Hospital, my #1 pick of hospitals that I applied at, the brand new hospital less than 5 miles from our Las Vegas home, and they offered me a job... Four months after I applied for it, on the very day Rhett accepted a job in Utah. I laughed out loud when I got that phone call; the irony is just priceless. At least I see that God has a sense of humor, and that is a good thing.

Viva Las Vegas

Rhett and I are currently living in Las Vegas. Rhett has been working down here for the last 4 years doing mortgage lending and financial planning. It has been a great opportunity for him, but we feel that it is probably time to start transitioning back to Utah. And so, we are looking for someone to rent or lease option our home. But here's the thing~ I got sick of emailing 15 pictures of our house to everyone who was slightly interested, because half the time the attachment wouldn't work right. So I thought to myself: self, you should post it on your blog and then it will be easy for people to see! But then I reminded myself to use caution online. It would be unwise to release all that personal information to those crazies out there-- you know, the ones who prey on dumb people who release too much personal information. So I decided to make a new blog full of house pictures to show to all the interested folks. So far, it's working swell.

So, my dear friends, if you'd like to see the full tour of our humble abode down here in Las Vegas, please see the following link: http://thevegashouse.blogspot.com/

I'll be sad to leave this house. It was just starting to feel like home. I wish I could transplant it across state lines without damaging the structural integrity. Whoever thought of mobile homes was on to something.

Check it out.
Here's a teaser...

This is the mucho grande walk-in closet of my dreams. It will be hard to part with. It is my second-favorite feature of the house. The first is the red walls in the kitchen. That was the first thing we did when we moved in - painted the kitchen red.

and yet I survived

I was just attacked by a large jumping insect. It looked like a combination between a cockroach and a cricket. It must have been a loco Vegas hybrid. It had huge antennae, about 2 inches long. I realize that I should have snapped a picture so that this new species could be identified by bug scientists, but in the heat of battle there is little time for a photo shoot. The sneaky little devil was hiding in the folds of the hand towel in the bathroom, and when I went to dry my hands, that's when he sprang toward me. Clearly an experienced assassin, he went straight for the throat. But little did he know that I also had a weapon - my high-pitched shrieking and flailing of limbs frightened him into retreat. Like a true coward, he tried to hide, but he could not escape the trap of the tupperware that awaited him. I captured this intruder and sent him to a watery grave down the toilet. Experience has taught me that sometimes the vilest of creepy insects have an advantage over the surface tension of the water, so I saw to it that he was covered by a blanket of toilet paper to crush that advantage. Genious, I know! My only regret is that he did not live to tell his friends about the certain destruction that awaits if they ever try a stunt like that again.

Some friends are demanding

Some friends are demanding. Take my friend Jessi, for example. We were roommates for years, and yet to my amazement I do not make her "blogs I heart" list. Heartbroken was I. And so, to save the friendship, I struck a deal: If I display a picture of her on MY blog, she adds MY blog to HER list. Like I said... demanding.

That's Jessi there on the left. Although instructed by the photographer to be a love tiger, she instead went for the rattlesnake move, (certainly stolen from the dark-haired twin of Bette Midler in that one movie where they're twins... anyone know the reference or the movie? It's late and I can't think of it and I don't care to look it up.) Regardless of her modeling abilities, I still think this shot captures the essence of Jessi. And I think we can all agree that Shanna wins the prize for best love tiger.

Now a behind the scenes explanation of the picture. Once upon a time a couple of winters ago, my blonde roommates and I went to a party at this house with the colorful walls. The owner of this bed instructed us not to go into his room under any circumstances. He was embarrassed that it was dirty, with good reason, I might add. It was dirty. For this reason, this particular UofU med student with the intials DD will not be named. And so the photo shoot and pillow fight that followed is how we entertained ourselves once he left us alone near his bedroom door. We showed him the pictures later. That was a great party.

Spam on my blog?

What is up with foriegners posting comments on personal blogs in a language that I can't understand? Does this happen to everyone or just me? I just got a comment from a stranger named Rodrigo on my previous post. I quickly deleted it, and feel somewhat unsettled about it. But since I'm new to the blog world, maybe this happens all the time and I'm just now seeing it. But common or not, I think I hate it.