Couch 55...And on it goes....

Well...I ended up doing a 3 hr shift at the clinic, and then back home where H has been watching a star trek marathon. I finished up a Beachy Wreath that I've been working on...photo attached below.

At this point I am going to go for a swim I think. It's dead hot...stifling outside really. I could use a cool down in the water.

My daughter doesn't really care to read much. If we went to the pool and there was no one there that she was able to or wanted to hang with, then she would either be pushing me to go in the pool to entertain her or complaining that she's bored.

Most times, I enjoy spending time with her in the pool - except when she gets all clingy and rough.

We still haven't gone to the pool yet today. Instead, we used a free promo code to rent a DVD. We might stop at the pool in a bit, but I'm not sure.

My daughter went to see fireworks the other day. Our township fireworks were last night, and we literally could've watched them from the end of our street, that's how close they are. But, neither of us was interested (I was in migraine hell).

I love the wreath, wiki!!

I hear ya, CE. I am still in such denial about my financial situation.

A few years ago, I was married - in a two-income household, had a good paying full time job, great benefits.

Now, only a few years later, I'm divorced, got laid off, have minimal health insurance that I pay a lot for, have my daughter on state medical insurance, am nearing the end of unemployment benefits while doing only part time freelance work...and if something doesn't change soon, I will be faced with losing my home - because I can't go very far with expenses that far exceed my income.

Every time I think about it, I panic.....and then I shut down. I am still taking steps, though, by searching and applying for jobs - and taking on as many interpreter assignments as I can.

Nice wreath!

Wow...I fell asleep after eating lunch and just woke up. Maybe I shouln't have days off...all I do when I do have one is sleep most of the day...that can't be "healthy".

Need to make supper soon. I just need to decide what I want. I'm thinking chicken with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Maybe I could nuke the chicken first to defrost it so it doesn't take so long to cook.

Well...just wanted to check in. Off I go to make dinner.

Sleep may be exactly what you need.

I found out for sure today (I have had my suspicions) that H has been lying to me about some crap. It's ironic that one of the last things my T said to me at our last session was that my H seemed like the kind of guy that I should be able to trust and that I should consider really letting him in. We have been improving, enjoying spending time together, etc. Then, I find out about the lying. Do I really need more proof that I shouldn't trust people?

Healed

I sure know how hard that can be.

((( Healed )))

What a night!

My daughter and I took a trip to the grocery store - an uneventful 4th of July - and we were perfectly okay with that. On our way back home from the store, my niece (who is on vacation several states away with my sister's family) calls hysterically crying that her puppy is missing!

My mom has been dog sitting the two "new" dogs for the last couple days. She let them both out back (fenced yard, lots of shrubs) and only one came back. She looked for the dog and couldn't find him. The gate was closed, no sign of the puppy.

My niece had a few of her friends come over to look for the dog....and of course, my daughter and I went over as well. The first thing my mom said was "It's too much for me to take care of two dogs! I'm going to tell them that I am not going to agree to watch their dogs anymore. I can't handle it! It's too much work for me!".

My daughter and I drove around, asking around to complete strangers, squeaking her favorite toy, etc. for 3 hours - after posting her pic on Facebook, the Home Again site, various Facebook pages, etc. Called the missing pet line at the local police department, etc.

We stopped back at the house a few times to squeak around the house. Then, minutes after we walked into the house, around 12:30 AM, the dog appeared at the back door. My daughter spotted her and ran to let her in.

OMG, what a moment!

My mom admitted that she was "helpless", and I agreed with her and said that everyone else was looking for the dog and being active while she just sat there.

We are now home, and I'm SO hungry and tired. I am going to have a quick bite, make my homemade salsa for tomorrow and get to bed.

Goodnight, couch peeps!

Morning all. MUE, I am glad you found the puppy. What a heartbreaking thing.

We had the coolest fireworks display over the lake last night. We had no idea it was going to happen, it wasn't a town display. People all around the lake were setting off really cool fireworks. They seemed almost professional. It went on for hours, in what seemed like an attempt to outdo each other. We sat out on the deck in our pjs watching, while the dogs hid under the bed. These folks must have spent a ton of money on fireworks. If we are still here next year, I am going to plan ahead and take the kayaks out on the lake to watch.

((Healed)) sorry about your H, but please remember that mostly everyone is dishonest to some degree...it doesn't make them untrustworthy. Like, you haven't exactly been honest with your H either, but you are a trustworthy person.

Lazy Friday, H is home today, and we have a nice long weekend to relax. Farmer's market, kayaking, swimming, and just hanging out on the deck watching the idiots try to back their boat trailers into the water. Maybe we'll go sailing at some point, we haven't been sailing this year yet.

Morning couch.

Just checking in and hanging out for a little bit before leaving to head to work.

MUE, thank goodness you guys found the puppy.

Healed, I'm sorry you are having trouble with your H.

Well, I'll pop in and out until about 8:30...then it'll be no squirrel until I get home this afternoon (or evening if I am asked to stay late).

I hope everyone has a good day.

Thanks, everyone. It was scary last night, but we are so thankful that the puppy is home. The scary part is that we have no idea where she was. So, I told my mom that the puppies need to be leashed when they go out back until my niece comes home tomorrow. She can then look around to see if the dog dug a hole under the fence somewhere or watch her closely to see if she tries it again. There are so many shrubs and bushes lining the fence that it will be a big task to go through it all to see. But it has to be done because she is such an energetic dog, it just seems impossible that she was in the backyard all along when we were squeaking her toy, calling for her and searching around with a flashlight.

I ended up not making the homemade salsa last night. I was way too tired. I might make it this morning but it never tastes as good when it's made fresh. It usually needs to sit overnight for the flavors to meld. *sigh*

Wish I would've been able to sleep more than 4 hours last night, but the pain - of course - woke me up.

I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin and her baby boy today at my sister's house. We need to leave the house by 10:30 AM, so I don't have a ton of time to get things done.

Have a great day, couch peeps!

I have transference transference. Our house is on the market and we had an open house last weekend. A woman really liked the house and has asked our agent to see it again today. Which is GREAT news, right? For about 15 seconds I got a little cranky, wondering why she couldn’t find her own realtor. Then I remembered that I’m not all emotionally invested in my real estate agent and I actually do not have a problem ‘sharing’ her. LOL

Good realization, pbutton! Plus, often times when the realtor represents both the buyer and the seller, you can catch a break on the commission, since they don't have to split it with another realtor. So, it could be a very good thing.

So... do you normally have two real estate agents involved in a house purchase in the US? Here, there won't ever be more than one, and I think it is becoming more and more common for people to sell their houses without any realtor involved at all. What is the purpose of having one for the buyer and one for the seller? Do they do different things?

Mast...

No, they don't really. The agent looks after your best interest though...so I am not crazy about both sides using the same agent. The agents split the commission (which is usually 15-16 percent). The buyer's agent will show them many houses by many different realties, and submit offers. The seller's agent may have buyers he/she is working with, and other houses on the market, but the bottom line is they are supposed to be getting you the most for your house. The buyer's agent is trying to get the best deal for the buyer. So, you can see how there is potential for it being a conflict.

Yes, usually there's a buyer's agent and a seller's agent. Each represents the interests of their client. Mine has told me that in our state they can do the... dual-something... I forget the term. But she said she is more likely to hand the sale over to another agent from her office and represent just the seller.

When we bought the house we live in now, it needed some repairs. Our agent and the seller's agent handled the discussion about what would and would not be repaired prior to purchase. One of the repairs was not completed in time, so our agent had the seller pay part of our closing costs to compensate.

I can't stand times like this....

...........

Something's been bugging me lately....

My daughter has DVD's of Full House that we've watched on occasion. Each time we watch some episodes, I've always been in awe of the idea that men had tender feelings towards children. I'm a bit skeptical because of the obvious reason that it's just a TV show. But it really strikes me each time I watch it how the men are so caring and loving towards the children - and wonder if that's a possibility in real life.

Makes me kinda sad that I haven't had that experience - in my upbringing or in my marriage.

My son is getting ready to leave for college, and my daughter leaves for a summer program on Sunday. So, trying to make schedules for what happens, when. Today is shopping with D to get the rest of what she needs for her 3 1/2 weeks away. Then we may do a little shopping with S, but plan to get most stuff shipped to him. He needs a doctor's appointment for a TB screening and to have them fill out the vaccination records. He needs plane tickets, and so do H and I if we are going to go down with him. The tentative plan is for us to fly Southwest so we can each check a bag, and H and I check bags filled with stuff for S, and have one carry-on for his stuff. H and I can share one carry on with stuff for us. We can then rent a car and get him to school and can go get him anything he really needs. Apparently there is no air conditioning. [For close to $50K a year, you would think they could afford air conditioning, wouldn't you?] So we will need to get some large box fans for him.

Meanwhile, H's family is in town. I love his younger brother, but dislike the disparity in how he treats his kids and his lazy parenting style. I dislike his older brother, period, although his wife is superficially quite sweet. She just laughs when the older brother, her H, is cruel to my MIL and his siblings. She says he is never like that except when he's around his family. Yeah, whatever. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE H's stepbrother, wife and little girl, so I am focusing on how great it is to spend time with them and trying to ignore the rest.

Hope everyone is having a good 4th weekend. Wikid, your night sounded really nice!

Oh, and Healed, I do agree with Wikid. We all have stuff we hide for one reason or another. It doesn't make us untrustworthy. I certainly would never tell H about being half in love with T or the discussions T and I have about our feelings for each other. Doesn't make me untrustworthy because I would never cheat on H.

((( RTS )))

Unfortunately, T's can only do so much - a lot of the work of change has to come from us. We need to be willing to evolve, take risks and do something different in order for things to move in a different direction. Some of those risks are scary and painful - and may not get desirable results.

Wow, MKAC, you sure do have a full plate!