Updates on Life

-We closed on the house last Thursday and we move in next Thursday! I went to Abita during lunch yesterday to set up the water/gas/garbage collection for the house. Get this - all of those services are run through the Town of Abita. So I had to go to Town Hall to pay the deposit (checks only, no credit cards) and fill out the forms, etc. There's this tiny little office with a slot in a door where you drop off your utility payments every month. The lady in the office informed me that they just became able to set up automatic debits for your monthly bill, but there is no website. Small town living - here we come. I dig it.

-I got a raise and promotion at work! It's so nice to know that all of my hard work has paid off. And tomorrow is "jean day" at work. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love jean days at work. It makes the week so much better. Tomorrow is also "Fair Day" in St Tammany because there is a fair (the kind with livestock shows) that takes place in Covington this weekend. The parade for fair day runs right in front of my office tomorrow and it is a treat for the eyes and ears. It consists of dancing crews and pageant girls and people throwing beads out of the back of pick-up trucks. It puts Mardi Gras parades to shame. Who needs Bacchus when you've got Destiny, Chastity and their stage moms waving at you from a Mustang convertible?

-My mom got married again two weeks ago (this is #4). She called me Friday and said, "Can you be at the Columns at 1130 tomorrow morning for my wedding?" She wore a black dress and asked my brother if he thought that would be okay. He goes, "Well, Mom, I think the cat's about outta' the bag, so there's no need to wear white." Her new hubbs is a history professor at SLU. He's a SUPER nice guy, no kids, been married once. I am VERY happy about this one, I think it's a good deal.

-I want to paint our dining room table. Not sure what color yet, but this caught my eye.



I don't know if I'm brave enough to paint it black, but I like this look. All of my NOLA food-themed kitchen art has red and black in it, so this may work.

The in-laws were kind enough to by us blinds for the house, so I can wait on curtains and stuff for a little bit. But I do have a feeling that I will be putting Sarah's genius drop-cloth idea to use.

So this weekend will consist of me, boxes, and numerous trips to Abita to bring my shoes and clothes to the new house.

Annelle and Sammy

We close on the house September 23rd and are so excited! But more importantly, all of our kitchen appliances are Frigidaire. Do you know what this means? It means I get to quote one of my favorite lines from Steel Magnolias on a regular basis. This is how it's going to go....."Stephen Neal Mahoney, what is this in my Frigidaire?"

House

So I think we're going to make an offer on this 3 bedroom/2 bath when Neal gets home next week. Here are some pics....







Here is the deal: This is a brand new little loop/small subdivision in Abita Springs. There are only 3 homes built in the loop so far. Two more lots are under contract. If the house above is still available next week, I think we're going to make an offer. If it's not available, we are going to build one that is similar. The homes are all New Orleans-style cookie cutter houses, but they're super cute. If we build our own, we have to pick out all the colors, etc which I don't really want to do. I would rather just buy the one that is already built b/c I'm perfectly OK with the one that is available.

So the homes are on lots that are going to be pretty close together, and I know that we could get a little more land or a bigger lot size or whatever if we looked in other areas like Folsom or Covington or Mandeville. But I've looked at houses in our price range in those areas and they are all BLAH. I seriously haven't seen one other house that I was interested in. And I just really like Abita. It's sort of this hippy dippy, laid back, unique little town. Their public schools have small class sizes and are better than the ones in Covington and Mandeville. The town is small, located on the Tammany Trace (the bike/walking path) and is only about 7 miles away from where we live now. There are all these cute little events and fairs and concerts in the town pavilion area and I just love it. LOVE IT.

I am going to miss our rent house and the 1/2 acre of land that we're on, but I will NOT miss the enormous electric bills that we have to pay all summer b/c the house is so old and full of cracks and windows. I will not miss having to walk outside to get to my laundry room. I will not miss the fact that every time our power goes out we can't flush the toilet because our water comes from an electricity-operated water well. And I will not miss the gecko that I found in my bedroom last night and which I'm pretty sure is still hiding somewhere in my closet.

Side note about the gecko situation; here's my convo on the phone last night with Neal:
N: How was your day?
C: It was fine, but there's a gecko in the bedroom and I don't know where he went.
N: He probably went back outside, don't worry about it.
C: No, I know he's still in here. He's hiding, just waiting for me to go to sleep.
N: Oh yeah? Then what's he going to do to you? Are you worried he's going to try to sell you some insurance?

The thought of having a brand new house is sooooo exciting. I have actually never ever lived in a brand new home so it may come as a shock to live in a house where everything actually works?! So I guess we'll see how this all plays out next week!

First-Time Homebuyers!

I met with a mortgage banker yesterday, and we were pre-approved to buy a home! It's real now, can you believe it? Holla!

Just a side note - I want to buy and wear a pair of clogs.....is that bad?

It's Not A Tumor

Just talked to the doc's office and my test results came back clean and normal! Yay! So I guess I just need to stay hydrated, not overdo it, and stay away from walmart.

Two More Tests

I met with the neuro this morning. He says that it sounds like the fainting/seizure episode was caused by dehydration and low blood sugar, but before they can say that and clear me so that I can drive again, I need two more tests. I have an EEG tomorrow and an MRI Tuesday. If those come back clean, I should be cleared. I'll let ya'll know how it goes......

So I Guess I've Been Better....

I went to WalMart right after work Friday to do my "big" grocery shopping trip. Last thing I remember, I was in the meat section looking for sausages that I needed so that I could make red beans. I was having some serious problems focusing though, like my eyes would not focus on one place. I was hot and shaky and I looked across the isle at a shelf full of Gatorade and thought, "I need to walk over there and drink one of those." Next thing I know, I'm waking up on the floor surrounded by EMT's. No joke. I passed out cold at WalMart.

The people who were there told the EMTs that I had been shaking, so they think I had a seizure. All I know is that I woke up and was completely disoriented and had no idea where I was or what was going on. Some WalMart employee picked up my phone and was making phone calls to my parents, but they couldn't get in touch with Neal. I was coherent enough to tell them to call Marilyn b/c Mr. Steve had the rig number and could get in touch with Neal while he was working. So the EMTs took me to the hospital where my step-mom was waiting when we got there. My Dad and mom showed up right after.

I had a CT scan at the hospital that came back clean. The ER doc released me that night and referred me to a neurologist who I am going to see Wednesday morning. Neal came in Friday night right after they called him and he just went back to work yesterday. His Mom came in town yesterday and is staying with me until tomorrow. He gets home (for the week) tomorrow night.

I am technically not supposed to drive until I am cleared by the neurologist, so I am resting at home. I am going a little stir crazy, but I'm just so freaking tired all the time that I sleep a lot.

My blood sugar was suuuuuper low when the EMTs tested it and I was really dehydrated, so they think that this episode was a result of that and not so much a neuro thing. I had worked out that morning and didn't eat much that day b/c my stomach was very upset, so I do think I was really, really dehydrated. Let's hope that's all it was.

I can't even begin to tell you what it's like to wake up, on the floor of a WalMart, completely unaware of anything that is going on. The entire night is still hazy. I felt like I was on drugs all night, but I hadn't taken anything.

So that was my weekend. I'll post an update after I talk to the neurologist Wednesday.