The house is ready for grandma

As ready as a three bedroom home for four people who each want their own bedroom can be, anyway.

It's going to be a tight fit, but we all get along pretty well so it will be fine. Grandma requires a lot of sleep so she needs her own room. I hung a curtain to turn the den into a room for Kyle, but with our opposite sleep schedules he really needs a room with a door. Instead, I think I'll leave that room closed off and designate it a quiet space for meditation, yoga, and reading so that I won't go crazy while sharing a room with my mom. Not ideal, but it will be fine until we can move.

I am going to buy a house in the spring. I have been renting since I moved to Greenville, NC back in 2008 to start school again. My plan was to wait until I completed my degree and knew for sure where I would be living permanently, or at least long term, before buying again. I am enjoying Ohio, especially living close to my sister Pamela and my precious nephew (though I miss all of my nieces back in NC terribly), but I am just not sure this is the best place for me in the long run. Career-wise, I mean. Everything-else-wise, I think where you live is what you make of it; every place has its positive and negative chi. But if I can't get a job in my new field, I'll have to move and I didn't want to be stuck with a house I can't sell.

Then I seriously looked into it and discovered that it doesn't matter. Interest rates are very low and with the great bargains, I already have the 20% down payment saved. I crunched the numbers using a five bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home that is currently for sale in my neighborhood as an example. My mortgage would be less than $400 per month! Can you believe it?! That is why it is truly no big deal if I end up having to move later.

Of course my dad has already started in: "you know, kiddo, a house is a huge responsibility." "Yes, dad, I know. I have owned two of them, remember?" "Get a cat first." "I have a cat, dad. His name is Earl. I've had him for thirteen years, remember? And before that I had a cat named Zoe for more than a decade. And before that was Howard... I've also had several dogs that were with me from puppy-hood to death of old age, but you're not interested in hearing about that."

My dad never remembers anything about my life past my wild, irresponsible, promiscuous teenage years. In his mind, I am still the seventeen year old girl who locked her keys in her car every other day and rolled my eyes every time he suggested I carry a spare key. Well, guess what, Dad? I have not one but TWO magnetic boxes with spare keys underneath my car and I haven't locked my keys in my car since.... never mind, that's not important. The important thing is that I have spares and I have pets and I have a good job and good credit and I can buy a house. :)

I am really looking forward to my grandma coming. I have missed her SO much. We've always been very close. My oldest son and mom are driving down to NC to get her this Monday so that she will be here in time for Thanksgiving. My other son and daughter are going to meet them at grandma's to help pack and see them off. I wish so much I could go, but with four people on vacation at work, I can't get the time off. At least I have Christmas to look forward to. I'm flying the kids up. It's going to be so wonderful to have everyone together again: baking cookies, playing music together, and I have this awesome gigantic molecular structure kit that is way over my head but the kids get it and seem to think is pretty cool.

Good times ahead.