A lesson in patience for the old girl

So many folks have been a part of our house selling, house buying, hotel living experience that it seems almost surreal that it is time for us to move into our new house this weekend. Initially, I thought it would be pretty easy and manageable to move to a nice hotel suite with a living area and small "cute" kitchen. Someone commented the other day that they have never known me to show as much patience as I have during these six weeks here.

I don't FEEL that I've been patient. I've bitched and moaned most of the way through it all. I've posted on Facebook the countdown, I've written numerous blogs regarding the experience and most of those closest to me KNOW that this is the weekend.

But somewhere along the way, I did have a small bit of insight into things that are out of my control. And this has been one of them. We brought things that were not needed and needed things that are packed in boxes/tubs in the back of the storage units. I have managed with about 15 inches of closet space and four pairs of shoes to choose from each morning. I have dealt with a cranky 13 year old dog that decided about a week ago that she was finished here, and started snarling and growling at me. I have dealt with housekeepers that think that if they bring in two clean towels each day then they have done their job. I have managed to have bronchitis the last two weeks we were here without missing a single day of work. I have managed to learn where the best deals are for eating out on different nights and even keep running into couples apparently doing the same thing! I have learned that you can get by with two sweaters. I have learned that some people seem to really like their job, even if it would seem to be one you'd never want to have. I have learned that Steve and I will appreciate space and the new house MORE this way than we might have if we had just "moved" directly there.

I have learned that I can sometimes reach down into my bootstraps and pull out some real patience and a new understanding of coping when your life is somewhat out of your control.

Friday is moving day. May the force be with us.

"So what is a paradox?" he asked

A paradox is a statement or group of statements that leads to a contradiction or a situation which defies intuition.

Just had something happen this morning that made an impact on my entire day...in a good way, for a change. So easy, so simple....but it happened.

I've had this terrible cough and cold for a week and a half and I suppose I've not gotten the appropriate sympathy. Everyone has a cold and could care not that I do. I'm not sleeping for the coughing, even with NyQuil. So when I got up this morning to go to work, I decided to forgo the Residence Inn eggs and sausage (yes we have mentally checked out, as Steve said this afternoon). I decided to pull through Chik Fila for their chik-n-minis, a great breakfast that Rachel introduced me to a few years back.

A simple thing that usually consists of yelling your order into a box, pulling up in the line and exchanging money for the food and getting maybe a random "thank you, have a nice day."

But not today....when I pulled up an older gentleman was working the window and asked me how my morning had been so far. Pretty bad, but because he was so sweet, I didn't want to give him the whole story. While waiting on the girl to go retrieve my iced tea, he said..."do you know what a paradox is?" I said yes, it's something that means one thing but appears to be something else. A vague, but passable answer. He said "No, it's two doctors." He made me laugh. So silly. But I laughed on a rainy Monday morning. He also had another joke that was equally bad, but I have forgotten it now.

I pulled away feeling a little better about my day and the potential that it might hold for improvement.

And this guy was able to find happiness working a window in a fast food restaurant making probably not much above minimum wage. Now THAT is a paradox. There's a lesson to be learned here, grasshopper.

Enjoying a Day Outside of the "ROOM"

Today was the last Sunday that we will be spending in the hotel room that we have been in for the last six weeks. It sounded like such a great plan, and it was the BEST thing for us....but the last couple of weeks have been closing in on us. Since Steve is used to "piddling" around in the garage or the yard, he has been stir crazy not having anything to do or to "fix." As for me, I have actually missed having my regular kitchen to cook in. Yes, you heard it here first people. I miss cooking.

It has seemed that, even though we planned ahead for what we thought we would need, there were still things that we ended up not having. Like warmer clothes for the unusually wet and cool weather we've been having. Where are my black boots???

One of the funniest things about our stay has been keeping the pets alive, Zoie and Koko. Zoie has faired better than Koko. But I think cats are just lower maintenance than dogs in general. She has windows she can get into and watch the outdoors everyday. She has her food and water and has full reign of the room at night. We had stopped letting her in where we sleep months ago when my allergies got really bad. The other morning Steve was actually down at the breakfast that is served near the lobby when he overheard some men discussing the "dog" that is down at the end of the hall that barks or growls every time they walk by. It was really funny to be sitting there while men at the next table are discussing your irritating pet. Koko has barked incessantly at EVERYONE that goes past the door. And won't stop with just a little bark or two. It has become so annoying that I started trying to shoo her away with a rolled up newspaper...but that only led to her growling at me and showing her teeth like she was going to EAT ME ALIVE!

So, we went to a NEW plan. We brought out the baby gate that we had at home and have her gated in the dressing room/bathroom area. It's such a funny thing because it has actually calmed her down so much! She is a different dog tonight. I think she missed her little "gated" area from the house and being told to "go to your room" which was actually the guest bathroom. She's not such a dummy or psycho killer dog after all.

Today we decided to get out of the room and go hiking to take a better look at the fall foliage and get some good photos. We had lots of fun. I was so amazed by Lake Fort Smith and how gorgeous it is now. We continued our drive up old hi-way 71 and crossed over to Devils Den State Park. It was funny tonight that I found out that Mary Beth and Jon were there with their dogs at about the same time and we never saw them!

Tonight, over dinner, we talked over the PLAN for the week: what utilities need to be called, what the sequence will be for the MOVE on Friday and what furniture we plan to put where. Frankly, I feel like its Christmas and I'm five years old.

Lake Fort Smith photos:

Devil's Den State Park:

We always joke about enjoying the "flora and the fauna"....

I love fern growing in the woods.

Looks like it is ready to flip and send that other tree flying.

The dark clouds on the drive home this afternoon.

Take a Day Off from Work and Enjoy!

With so much going on (or rather, so little going on) with waiting to close on the house on the 30th, living in a hotel for six weeks and getting a cold AFTER taking my flu shot, I felt I was deserving of a break. Mary Beth had today off, so I planned to take the day and go up for a visit.

The original plan was to go up, buy pansies and mums and plant them. After I got there today and I was still hacking and sneezing, we thought that maybe the cold, damp weather outside would not be the best place for me to be. We also concluded that we wanted to re-design the shape of her front flower bed at her house to make it more inviting to the front of her house...and that would require much more time and energy than either of us had today. So it was final. Later on the bedding work.

We called Glo, my sister-in-law about joining us for lunch at the Green Pea (I think?) in Rogers. I haven't gotten my sense of taste back yet from this cold, so I couldn't really taste my soup. They both ordered salads that looked delish and had everything but the kitchen sink in it!

After a great lunch, Mary Beth and I headed to IO Metro Furniture to get some ideas for new furniture for the house. They have SO much great stuff there!!! Then we headed to Fayetteville to check out Hanks Furniture because they have the sectional that we want. Never mind the fact that the sectional is exactly the same as the one we bought for the lakehouse...when you get something right, why change it?

It's pretty obvious that these two are not inhibited about "trying out" a sofa IN the store before you buy it! This is actually a photo from a couple of years ago when we were buying the sectional for the lakehouse. It was one of the things that I LOVED recently in the "house that shall not be named because it would not be sold to us" because she had this very sectional in one of the living areas! At the time, I thought it was karma....guess not.

Here are some of the great finds that we came across today...not sure what we will end up with, but it was SO much fun looking and planning! I'll admit, I think I just needed a day to realize that the rest of my life will NOT be spent in a hotel!!!

Possible hide-a-bed for one of the bedrooms that will also be a second living area with a tv and all. (yes, a place for Greg to hook up his game systems!)

The pieces above and below were from IO Metro. They are great...I just have to figure out where they go!

Lots of great ideas for decorating!


We ended the day together renting "The Proposal" and watching it at her house. It is definitely a chick movie and perfect for today. I left there and went for a visit with Greg that included a trip to the grocery store...where DO those boys put those groceries?

Great day. Much needed. Now for cold medicine and work tomorrow.

Thank goodness for a day taken off.

The Waiting Place

This entire week has been a cycle of going to work, running errands and then coming back "home" to the Residence Inn, otherwise known as home for now. By most standards, it could certainly be a worse scenario for us. We considered renting something, but there would have been the problems with finding some place that would rent for just the six weeks we were out of a house, and then the additional problem of getting utilities hooked up and then turned off and all for just such a short time.

It seems that we are out of town and it is just simply time to go home.

Home. That term has changed from what I have thought about when the word was mentioned over the last 17 years. Yes, I know all the "stuff" about home just being where we are...and I suppose that is true. But it is still sad and leaves me with sort of an empty feeling that "home" is not where we've been but to that vast unknown place where we are going. "Home" means different things to different people. Home has been where I plant my flowers and precious bulbs from my mom and Steve's dad. Home is where we cook and plan meals for family and friends to celebrate those "special" days.

This afternoon when I left work, I had to make an unexpected stop at Walgreens drive through for someone else. When I left there, I found myself not even thinking about it before I was driving on Park Avenue headed to Free Ferry Lane. When I realized my error, I got a little catch in my throat.

There's so much said and written about the "waiting place" where we all find ourselves. Dr. Seuss even writes about it. It is so true. And that's just where we are right now....waiting. I need to enjoy the journey more during this in between time. But, meanwhile, I'll just continue to complain and laugh about it all...it's all that is keeping me going.

The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,

or a plane to go or the mail to come,

or the rain to go or the phone to ring,

or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

Save me!

This is Dianne. (sort of)

This is Dianne in a cramped space.

This is Dianne feeling extremely cramped in a hotel room for six weeks.

This is Dianne that cannot find her stuff. Ever.

This is Dianne losing what little bit of sanity she had left.

Please just close the box and ship me to my new house on Halloween.

We visit the Big "D"

Friday morning Steve and I headed out for Dallas with my friend Connie. The Razorbacks were playing at the new Cowboy Stadium and we were determined to be there! We stayed with her good friend, Janan Foster and her husband. They are Hog fans as well so we all had a great time!
That's right...by the look of these photos you can see how high up we were....just a dozen seats from the top and these were NOT the cheap tickets!!!! We had a good time anyway--the gigantic screen made it easy to see what was going on. I found myself watching it more than I watched the actual game! Food and drinks were pretty high too, but I guess Jerry's got to pay for that stadium some way!

The Stadium Police were even pretty high tech. Eat your heart out Greg! (just think how much fun you would've had on one of these!

Janan, Connie and Bryant try to decide whether or not to take rain gear inside.

On Friday evening our table got a serenade of a Mexican version of "Jailhouse Rock"...he handed me the maracas and decided I was gifted and talented with them...the perfect thing for my wish list!

Aren't we a cute musical trio?

Steve and I were ready for the Razorback Rally at Mickey Gilley's in Dallas.

I don't have a clue what was said to make Steve make this face...or for that matter, what was I thinking???

The crew having fun cheering for the Hogs!!!

Late in the night...I don't have any idea what this was!

Saturday morning we got up and visited with Steve's nephew, Chris Burbridge and his wife, Vikki and daughter, Nicole. They've just moved to a lovely new home (home? What's that???? I think I've forgotten!) They treated us to breakfast as we caught up on family stuff.

And last, we saw this license tag and I couldn't resist...now THAT'S a Hog fan!!!