20 July 2010

I'm Not Gonna Cry!


We're slated to move back into our newly remodeled cottage on Saturday.  Our lease was up and we had to move out of the home we've been renting for the past 11 months, last week.  We were lucky enough that our dentist took mercy on us and let us rent the apartment above his office for a week.  His office is a beautiful Craftsman house converted into a dental office on the first floor and a vacation rental on the second.  The apartment is really cute and has been a fun place to take refuge in this storm.  Funny thing is, it's directly across the street from the old rental.  DIRECTLY.  Our old number was 432 and this one is 431.  Our view is our old house.  Odd.  But, if anyone ever wants to vacation in a very cool beach town, let me know and I'll hook you up.  This place has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office with a double sized Murphy Bed.  It's close to all the shops, restaurants and  the Design District.  Not to mention a walk away from some great beaches and surf spots.  More on that later.  Here's my current state of affairs.



My reality.

This Saturday is our move in date.  This is what our front courtyard looked like yesterday. Never mind getting to the front door, the painting isn't done, stairs aren't done, all the tile isn't in, appliances aren't installed, wires aren't pulled through so we can cam them and shed a little light.  The front yard is obviously not done and the back yard looks much the same. The downstairs bedroom carpet hasn't even arrived yet.  It's on a truck somewhere between Georgia and here.  None of the hardware is affixed and the door knobs, including the front door and lock are also on a truck somewhere, supposedly on their way here.  I'm not gonna cry - I'm not gonna cry - I'm not gonna cry.

What is done are, all the trenches for drainage.  Fences have been moved back on the property line to be where they originally should have been, making our yard a bit bigger.  At the beach you need to claim as much space as possible, being most yards are tiny.  The wood floors are all in, the granite and marble is installed and looks beautiful.  The paint is almost done and the showers are tiled if not grouted and bathroom floors are in and tiled.  Oh and hey, we even have a garage door even though it's not painted yet.

So please, if you're the praying kind, send one up for me.  If you aren't just wish me luck.  I'm gonna need a lot of both.  It wouldn't be so bad if we could just stay where we are for the extra days it will take to get our act together but, this place is already spoken for starting Friday.  Can you say, "Homeless?" I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna -- whaaaa, whaaaa, gulp, whaaa.



  Lest you feel too badly for me, here is the adorable rental we get to live in until Friday.  It is all light and bright with lovely furniture and all the comforts of home.  This is the little kitchen, dining area.



The Master Bedroom is fresh and comfy and the French doors lead out to a wonderful balcony which makes you feel like you're in a treetop.  There are two fantastic lounge chairs out there in which I would be lounging if only I had the time.  The balcony looks right over to the place we've been living for the past 10 months since our remodel began.  Weird.
Why, hello formal rental.  Do you miss us?



This is where my daughter sleeps.  Not bad huh?  The kind woman who rented this to us is an interior designer.  I wish I could get her to come do something with my cottage.  I love the blinds here.  Very beachy.


This is the kitchen I've been whipping up our meals in.  It looks very similar to the kitchen I'm supposed to move into on Saturday at the cottage.  It looks like a model home doesn't it?  Mine will look like that for about 5 minutes; until my kids get in there to make snacks I start doing my magic and cooking up a storm Of course getting the appliances into the newly remodeled cottage will be a big improvement.  Wait a minute, let me rethink this.  No appliances = no cooking.  Okay, maybe I won't push for the appliances.  But toilets and showers would be a nice touch.  Did I tell you how hard remodeling is on a marriage?  I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in this post here.


I know my new home will be beautiful.  I know it will be worth it in the end!  I know how blessed I am to even have this opportunity in the first place.  I just don't know where I'll be living come Saturday.  I don't know when our cottage will be livable enough to move in.  I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry.  I want my mommy!!!


I sat on the balcony of our temporary home last night and photographed the sunset.  It is hopeful.  It proves that life goes on and if the sun comes up, it will go down, and then it will come back up again.  Tomorrow is another day and each day brings us closer to our dream.  Until then, I don't know how frequent my posts will be.  My heart is a wee bit heavy and I promised you that this blog would be upbeat.  So here my loveys, my family, my friends, are the rest of the sunset pics, taken just for you.  I want to end on a high note and until I'm back feel free to check out my archives.  That way when you see the cottage all finished you'll see how far we've come!





Love you more than all the craziness in my life right now.  Man I must love you guys a lot.

Blessings,

Tia






18 comments:

deborah said...

my.space.bar.quit..but.you.can.come.here.and.stay!..keep.writing.you.don't.have.to.be.jolly.all.the.time...Your.house.will.happen!!praying.for.you..

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

Oh Tia I'm so sorry.
Prayers coming your way.

I have a 2nd home to offer - wish you were closer.

I can't wait to look back on all of this next year and you'll be laughing and writing, "remember when....."

Hugs
P.

Heaven's Walk said...

Tia - my heart goes out to you, girl. The entire thing is kinda bittersweet, isn't it? You feel pulled in so many different directions - BUT you can see the big picture! The picture of bliss that you'll be living in come a month from now. And you've got such an adorable place to stay til then! Take a deep breath and try to take it one day at a time. It WILL be worth it all in the end.

Oh, and I will send a prayer up for patience, strength, and encouragement! :)

xoxo laurie@heavens-walk

Kat said...

Prayers and good vibes and great thoughts all headed your way! You've got such a great attitude about this. No matter how topsey turvey your world is, your sense of humor shines through. The sunset pictures are gorgeous. Just keep remembering that VERY soon you will be enjoying these beautiful sunsets from your very own cottage. Kat

NanaDiana said...

Hang in there, my friend...there IS light at the end of the tunnel...I just hope it isn't a freight train headed at you...unless, of course, it is loaded with carpet and hardware. It will soon be over...it will soon be over...it will soon be over....that is MY personal mantra for getting through EVERYTHING in life. Blessings to you too- Diana

deborah said...

Different computer. You can come and stay with me if you don't mind dogs, cats and boys! Your beautiful house will be finished soon, the finishing touches always take the longest.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!! hugs

Nancy's Notes said...

Oh my Tia, I'll pray and wish you luck! I happened to find your blog just a few minutes ago and I am happy I did! Your writing is great and I love your humor! I know I want to come back and see you back in your cottage and I'll be you'll have lots to say between now and then! Hang in there, it'll , if not soon, I'll whine along with you!

Nancy

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

You know that saying... "Those who are lucky enough to live by the water.. are lucky enough."....

Well very soon, you'll be SO lucky. So.. you know.. no violins playing over here :-)

I can say that because I'm way over on this side of the country and you can't reach me to slap me.

bichonpawz said...

I am sending all the good wishes, and good karma and prayers that I can!!! I feel for you...I really do!! It will all work out. It will all work out. Just keep repeating this in your head!! That rental is A D O R A B L E and I think I would like to live there!!!

bichonpawz said...

I'm having trouble leaving a comment...so don't know if these are coming through or not.....I am sending you LOTS and lots of good karma and good wishes and prayers!!! It will all work out and you will love it!! That rental sure is cute....I think I could live there!! Quite Happily!!

Simple Home said...

Oh, bless your heart, I know this is hard. You did share some wonderful photos though, and it's good to know that this will soon all be behind you.
Blessings,
Marcia

Leo said...

Good Luck. I went through this last year....and my husband insisted we move back in when it was 95% completed. Our rental wasnt as nice as yours. It all worked out in the end.

Helene said...

I can only imagine how stressful this has been for you! And yes you're home will be beautiful once it's all done but it's the day to day stuff (uh, like where you'll be living in just a few days) that would wear me down in the end, too.

It'll all work out...somehow, someway. Hang in there!!!

Denise Covey said...

Renovating is never easy is it? Still, it will be worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing your story and those beautiful photos. Life ain't all bad, is it?

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Hi Tia,
Thanks for coming by and your sweet comments!
This is going to be fun reading about your cottage by the sea! It looks like you have your hands full but your home is going to be gorgeous! I looked through some of the other posts, very nice!
I'm adding on too,
HAGD,
Cindy

Leo said...

Hi there - just checking in...hope the move in went well. Can't wait to see the photos are your gorgeous new place!

Seawashed said...

That little place is so cute! And the house you lived in these past 10 mos. is sure nice too. BUT I can't wait till you move in!!!!!! praying.

Suz said...

Oh Tia!!! You have been through a lot during this construction process. It will be worth it when you finally move in and watch your first sunset! :)