Our latest escapades....

For those of you who know us well enough, you know that we really don't stay in one place too long. In fact, the longest we've stayed in one place since being married was when we were in Oklahoma City for 2 years. We've been here in Fayetteville for 1 1/2 and apparently the "fates" were alerted to that fact because once again...

we are on the move!

Yep, Zach has been promoted (again) and we are headed off to Little Rock, Arkansas.



In 6 years of marriage, this will be our 6th move. 4 of the 6 being work related, and 3 of those 4 happening shortly after I had given birth to a little nugget, or was pregnant with a little nugget.
The news came so quickly that Zach is actually already there working and staying in a hotel near the mall. The kids and I have been hanging out here while frantically searching for a place on line. For the last few days this is what my life has been...
Get up in the morning, get the kids fed, then proceed to the computer and spend the rest of the day searching on any and every site I can think of, calling and getting info., taking occasional breaks to feed/take care of the little nuggets, then talking with Zach after he gets off of work and telling him the new houses to go take a look at.
He then takes a look at the house, finds out if the area is safe, then is either told that the house is no longer available for rent (all the houses we have loved) or just tells me flat out NO. The search has definitely been a long, exhausting, and frustrating one. If we love a house it's either already rented, or a scam on Craigslist/Hotpads.
Needless to say, I was getting a little discouraged when Zach called me up on Wed. and suggested that the kids and I drive down and we could check out the 5 houses we had found on-line, and just spend some time together. So that's what we did. I quickly packed up the kiddos, drove the three hours to Little Rock and met daddy and headed off to the first house. The first house was a new home, but was a higher price range than we had wanted to spend. Then we saw the area... quickly locked our doors and turned back the way we came. Yeah, no bueno.
Then we drove to the second house that was right by the mall Zach will be working at. It was not at the top of our list because it was tiny, had no garage or carport, and looked/smelled like the previous tenants had been using it for an ashtray. Although it was undesirable we figured we could clean it up and it might be nice for Zach to be able to walk to work. We decided that if none of the other three homes worked we would give this place a go. Since it was getting late we went out to eat and headed back to Zach's hotel to get some rest.
The next day, Zach went to work for a few hours while I got myself and the kids ready. Then we picked Zach up, got some...




*Mmmmm... do-nuts. Yes, Joy. You were right... they are amazing. Am I drooling? Maybe.*

then made our way to see the last three houses.
The third house was about 25 min. outside Little Rock and was a little higher than we wanted to pay, but by now we were looking at anything that was available. The house was older, and HUGE. The upside was the storage possibilities. The down side was the kids rooms were on the lower level and there were two doors that led outside (for those who know Xander you know why that made me nervous, the bars on all the windows didn't convince me that it was a safe area either). Another down side was the thought of heating/cooling such a large place. We were already at a price range that was higher than we wanted to pay, and adding high utilities and a long drive didn't help. So... that was a no.
The fourth house was just the opposite. Good area, close to Zach's work, all on one level, but no storage whatsoever. Also, it was UUGGG-LYY, and didn't have all the appliances in the kitchen. It was just as expensive as the first house, and add in the cost we would have to pay for the missing appliances and you get a big no from us. Strike four.
The fifth house was the same price range as the other two but even closer to Zach's work, and the one I was most excited about. I had seen the house on-line and couldn't wait to see it. It was an older home that they had completely remodeled inside. The pictures on-line showed a gorgeous kitchen, some wonderful new bathrooms, and some nice rooms. It even had a cute wooden deck that led to the fenced in backyard. We pulled up and I couldn't wait to go inside. Once inside... I was confused. I had opened the front door, but I was in the kitchen? There was a tiny little bedroom to the right (the doorway alone made me claustrophobic) but I had yet to find the front room. I searched and searched but... there was no front room to be found anywhere. It got even more confusing when we discovered that the master bedroom had french doors that led to the carport? With no front room, odd bedrooms, doors to outside in weird places, and not enough storage space we decided this was a no as well.
We looked at each other, defeated, and decided to call and put an application in for the "ashtray" house. Surprisingly enough... we were informed that it had just been rented out a few hours earlier and was no longer available. WHAT?!? Even our "if we become desperate enough" house was taken?!?
That was it. I wasn't moving. As I loaded up the kids to go home, my sweet husband gave me some words of encouragement and promised me it would all work out. I knew I had to change my attitude and be patient but I was really discouraged and bummed out.
After an hour of driving a little voice from the back of the car informed me that he needed to go potty. Great.
I pulled into the gas station of a small town and got ready for the adventure of taking three little ones into a restroom stall. With the car seat in one hand and Xander and Blayne in the other we stumbled into the largest stall. I changed Blayne while Xander did his duty, then told the boys to entertain Kendell so I could take my turn. As soon as I sat down someone entered the stall next to us. Immediately the boys forgot all about Kendell and started bending down to look at/talk to our new stall friend. I stood them back up, then Xander said "What he doing in there?". I responded with "Using the restroom." in my quietest voice possible, appalled that my child would be so intrusive to someone's privacy, when it dawned on me that Xander had said "he".
It felt like I was moving in slow motion as I looked down to see two man-sized cowboy boots in the neighboring stall, followed by the realization that the person in that stall was relieving themselves while standing. Then my sweet boys decided it would be funny to add to my horror by trying to open our stall door. As I repeatedly pulled them away from the door and silently whispered for them to "knock it off" and "stand by the baby" the question of "Did I go into the wrong bathroom?" kept coming to my mind. After all, I was toting three kids, I could've easily made that mistake in the rush to corral them into a bathroom stall and take care of business. But then there was the unmistakable little mini metal can on the wall informing me that it was there for women's unmentionables. I was confused and decided to just stay in there until he left, in case I was the one in the wrong, when suddenly a gruff voice with a thick southern accent said....
"Am I in the wrong bathroom?"
Me: "Umm, I think so. Either you are, or I am." *Feeling quite uncomfortable.*
Gruff voice: "I bet you was over there thinkin' man this lady's sure peeing a lot."
To myself: Actually I was thinking... if you were a woman you were talented to pee in that position. To him: Uncomfortable laughter.
Gruff voice: "Well, I sure am sorry, I'll have to look closer at the door next time. Hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable."
Me: "Don't even worry about it, you're just fine." Feeling less uncomfortable.
Gruff voice: "I'm sure you're fine too if I could get a look at your sweet face. *Uncomfortable feeling returned.*
Then a flush of his toilet, and a quick exit out the door. Yep, no hand washing. *Extreme uncomfortable feeling and a realization to not let the boys touch the door, and that I need to keep my paper towel for more than just drying my hands.*
After washing our hands and using the paper towel as a germ barrier between myself and the door handle, we stumbled our way out of the gas station to see a bunch of cowboys grinning and whispering to each other like they had just heard a very interesting story from one of their buddies. I quickly loaded the kids and drove the rest of the way home.
A few hours later my wonderful hubby called and asked me to get on the computer and look at a home he was looking at. He was in front of the house and said it looked really nice and that the neighborhood was even better. When I looked on-line I found a beautiful home that basically was an updated version of our current home. We both agreed that if he liked what he saw inside the next day, we were going for it. I said a quick prayer and crossed my fingers that this house was actually legit. It would be about a 20min. drive to work for Zach but was in our desired price range, was only 4 years old, a nice area, had more closet space and all the appliances in the kitchen. Then yesterday I got the news that it was real and that we would be able to move in ASAP.
FINALLY!!! An end to the rental home nightmare.
In a short time we will officially be living in Benton, Arkansas. Now all we have to do is move all our stuff. Thankfully, Dillards is sending someone to take care of that for us. Can you imagine having to pack a home with two toddlers and a newborn under your feet? UGH. No thank you.
We will miss you Fayetteville, you have been wonderful and given us some great friends and even better memories!!
Wish us luck!!