The Art of Travel

[Another note from the Arctic...where it has snowed...repeatedly... these past few weeks]

All:

Have you noticed a really ridiculous pattern at all? Yes...I only ever write from work...and only about once a month. Well I'm here today to fill you (mostly) in on life since i've written last!

I spent my last two weeks off going to visit some awesome people in the Midwest! (I also learned that ND, SD & MN were PART of the Midwest. I didn't know!!! I claim "northern girl" who never had to take midwest history or anything like that in high school) I spent a few days at home in Idaho and then flew to Minneapolis/St. Paul where a good friend picked me up. Then we drove about 4 hours to SD. The scenery in that area has its own unique charm. Not quite the overly treed acres or mountainous terrain i'm used to...but there's something beautiful about farm land and knowing that what you're seeing is going to feed people some day.

A quick day in SD was followed by a drive to Lincoln NE to see an awesome family I know and a good friend as well. That too was a quick day and a half as we showed up in the evening and left the next afternoon to head back to SD where I met up with MORE friends whom I stayed with the rest of the week that I was there. Combines...and wheat fields...and camper life! Always fun. :)

All in all, the trip was both quick and full of blessings! I was very excited to finally do a bit of travelling instead of remodeling! Good news though...right before I left, I actually set up my room with the help of my family. It is SO nice to have a place to relax every now and then! I flew back to Idaho and spent a few days with the family before heading up here...where I have been for almost 3 weeks now. I get to go HOME soon! Well..actually...only very briefly...but i'll fill you in on that AFTER it goes down...

May the snow not be seen for many moons wherever you live,

P.S. Always remember-Pack light! :) It leaves room to bring cool things home with you!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23422.The_Art_of_Travel?ac=1

Birthday Box # 2

Happy Almost Birthday to Me...it's 

[GO HOME DAY!!!]

I don't have a TON of time to write (did I mention today is the day I get to go home?! It's always a mad dash to get everything done. BLAST you procrastination!) , but I wanted to give a shout out to another great friend who is always super thoughtful and awfully good at gift giving (among many other things). You can visit her blog here to learn/read about all sorts of interesting things and see tips on fashion, movies and many different things about life in general. 

Once again, thank you from the very deep recesses of my little heart for your thoughtfulness on my birthday! Sending things to the Arctic takes forethought and serious follow through and the timing was perfect. I love my gift and the guys will get a kick out of it because they're always calling me "THE boss" all the time...trying to make sure I feel the love and put them in good seats on the plane :). Jewelry is always a hit too, and I LOVE GREEN!  

Many blessings to you this Wednesday my fellow admin! May the rest of your work week be swift and uncomplicated!

Ciao for now....

The Birthday Box...

Oreo Surprise!

[In that selfsame office in the  middle of nowhere]

Abby:

I don't have anything witty or humorous to impart this morning. I am simply reflecting on the fact that I very much appreciate my friends. Over the years several of them have been very thoughtful and sent little care packages, birthday and Christmas gifts to me up on the slope while i'm at work. It may not seem like a super big thing...but when you're away from home for the holidays every year...a little "i'm thinking of you" from far away definitely makes the day brighter!  So for all those little packages...I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. They were very much appreciated!

This topic comes to mind this year because once again that dreaded day where we turn one year older is almost upon me and I walked into my office yesterday morning to find a box.  I opened it (yes...I opened it early! It had no markings to specify that I should do otherwise...that is my defense!) to find a tin that looked exactly like the one pictured above. That's right. A giant Oreo. To my astonishment...it was actually filled with white and black cookies. Delicious! Eating them all was definitely not going to happen, so I sent the remaining cookies (there were a LOT) out to the guys in the control room. They were very grateful! I didn't think anything of it...and then this morning I got an e-mail with a picture in it.

Knowing Emma, I really should have known there would be a message at the bottom.  It made me laugh and think of all the other smiles I have enjoyed due to the thoughtfulness of friends over the years and I am taking a moment to appreciate them all!

Have a beautiful day out there and remember to appreciate your friends, as well as the small things! 

Book of the Day: 

The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli

Brave New World...without a cell phone!

A Sad and Tragic Tale

[On hold with Alaska Communications, my friendly cell service provider]

My phone? It looks like the one pictured above (in black). I've had it for awhile so it's the Samsung Galaxy S2. It is the protagonist in this little tale, so I thought it would be good for you to have a visual. Call it the business major in me. 

Abby:

You know when you have one of those days that starts off with only trying to do one thing, and that one thing takes forever because of the evolution of the worst idea ever..automated service lines? Today was just such a day. The good news...I made a new friend. His name is Art. We chatted on the phone for about 2 hours because I have the a lifestyle that is directly contrary to dealing with a company that only resides in one state! Yay! Here's the scoop:

PHONE:

I find great pleasure in shutting off randomly while internally smiling gleefully as my handler gets really frustrated! Then...I won't turn on...just because...even though my battery is fully charged. I have been playing this game for about a year now in the hopes of going to phone heaven (recycling) and my handler has FINALLY capitulated to my evil plan and spent the time necessary to replace me! (gleeful cackle)

Abby:

Okay...so I know my phone is an inanimate object but i'm SURE that's what it would be thinking if it wasn't. ACS has been very accommodating about the whole thing since I have handset insurance, but it doesn't change the logistics of things. 

Option 1: Mail it to me at work. It takes approximately a week to get the new phone, and I will be leaving the slope in exactly that amount of time. Chances are, the phone and I would miss each other in transit and I would be phone-less for two weeks until I came back to work. Not my favorite idea. 

Option 2: Come into the store and get it replaced/swapped out in person.  I would love to...unfortunately by the time I land in Anchorage, all the branch stores are closed...and they do not open again until after I have already left again.  Yeah...that's not going to work either.

Option 3: Mail it to me at home in Idaho. I know..this makes perfect sense right?! Just a small snag: They "can't" send phone's out of state unless for "pressing" reasons. Art is a good guy however, and he put me on hold for another 20 minutes and convinced his supervisor that this circumstance is pressing. Yay! Oh wait...you have to be IN Alaska to activate the phone. TRAGIC. So here I am again...I have a phone in hand...but I can't activate it and use it regardless because i'm in Idaho. Again...phone-less until at back at work.

Option 4: Art...he's a salesman and he figured out the plan. He's going to mail it to me in ID, but he's going to activate it first. Woo hoo! Initially, it sounded like a super great plan until he told me that once he activated the new phone, my current phone would no longer work. 

That brings me to the sad part of this tale. I AM going to be phone-less with Option 4. However it will only be for a week instead of 2 which is nice. It amazes me that as a society we are all so dependent on one tiny little mobile device. It's a brave new world out there with so many electronics always at our finger tips! I admit it...I count myself in that "society." I may not be as attached as some...but i'm definitely going to feel it's loss this next week. 

Enjoy your texting everyone! If I don't text back...I promise i'm not ignoring you!

Once (or twice or three times) Upon a Time...

Act 4, Scene 2
[From that Arctic Tundra that I love so much and where it seems is the only place have time for updating this blog!]

Once upon a time there was a girl who decided to undertake writing a blog while she was moving and then helping remodel a house (this is where the 2 or 3 times in the title comes in). It was her hope that she would be quite prompt in updating and writing new posts to keep all the awesome people she lives far away from the ability to check up on what she was doing without having to navigate the overused and less exciting (as the years go by) pages of ...Facebook. As often happens with dreams and ideals, hers was a tiny bit ambiguous and her blogging has morphed into a semi-monthly posting status. This is not due to lack of ideas or things to do/share but by the fact that both work and home have been insanely busy. She has come to terms with this sort of, but even so... her resolve has been renewed to blog more often than not. Let me introduce you...

Abby:

Hello again! I'm sure you've all forgotten who I am by now...! Okay...Kidding. Here's the deal. Remember that investment property the folks bought that i'm going to bum a room in? I thought you would. It has been consuming my time off because we have been painting and tiling like crazy!  The good news? We're done...well...done with the basement (where I will be living) for the most part. I still have to work on the bathroom, but since we need to replace the toilet..it's not a super high priority. My last two times home (the last 6 weeks) have been a little crazy with early mornings and late nights (we know how much I love those!) trying to get everything done enough that I can at least sort through my stuff in storage and get rid of at least one of my little storage units to save myself about $30 a month. That being said...pictures are worth a thousand words right? Perfect. Here's what i've been up to before and after:

Granted...these colors are pretty bright and obviously that's not all the rooms that were painted...but we decided to make it fun in the basement (Mary gets to have a "girly" room and mine will be "earthy" instead of Paris chic type) and have the ledge around the whole basement be chocolate colored so that everything would "match" and you would only need to change the top half of the wall if you wanted a new color scheme in any of the bedrooms. The living room/hallways are all a pretty neutral "latte" color but a little lighter. From the same color palette that I used in my house. I know...it probably looks a little crazy right now...but it will be AWESOME once we decorate and get the carpet in the rooms etc. Ooh...I almost forgot the most important part....FLOORING!

The entire basement is tiled with the exception of Mary and I's rooms, so it took awhile. Now we're done though, and carpet should be in the bedrooms by the time I get home in 10 days. YES! Treadmill...I miss you...

...and they all lived happily ever after...for now. 

To Be or Not to Be...really wet.

SUMMERTIME

[Pictures located on the Coeur d'Alene Lake, ID]

Deep down inside...actually..it's not that deep...I really really like to be outside...most specifically in some sort of water, be it ocean, lake, river etc. doing nothing but relaxing and soaking up the sun. Perhaps this is because I spent so much of my life in sunshine deprived Alaska. I feel the need to make up for all those missed sunny opportunities! My folks' place out in the hills is only a couple miles from the dock you see above, and it is my favorite Sunday hangout spot when i'm home. The Coeur d'Alene lake is beautiful, and due to the fact that this "beach" is more of a boat launch with huge sharp rocks, there are rarely many people there. 

Last summer I invested in a kayak and I've had a lot of fun with that. Gets you out, gets you exercising, and you can cruise around and see some really pretty scenery. I wanted to try something new this summer though, and was super excited when my folks bought a low end paddle board so we could try it out and see if we liked it before spending a lot of money on a good one. What exactly IS paddle boarding you ask? Here's what the all knowing Wikipedia says: 

Paddle boarding is a surface water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddle board or surfboard in the ocean. This article refers to traditional prone or kneeling paddle boarding. A derivative of paddle boarding is stand up paddle surfing and stand up paddle boarding. Paddle boarding is usually performed in the open ocean, with the participant paddling and surfing unbroken swells to cross between islands or journey from one coastal area to another. Champion paddlers can stroke for hours and a twenty-mile race is only a warm-up for a well-trained waterman.

Sounds intriguing right?

Here's a look at your basic beginner paddle board: 

Now doesn't that look like all kinds of fun? I've only tried it a few times so far, but let me tell you...for the uncoordinated among us...prepare to get wet your first few tries...or whenever you get distracted...or when someone inadvertently bumps you...or just...because. There are crazy in shape people out there who do awesome things like Yoga out on the water on a paddle board etc...but i'm not quite there yet. Still, it's a lot of fun and if you haven't yet, I urge you to give it a try at some point. If you don't live near a lake...well...I would say there's never a bad time to move...but that's just me. All joking aside...it's fun, and after the initial investment, it's a cost efficient way to work your core muscles, get a tan and relax and get some fresh air all at the same time. Tell me that's not a win!  

Before I go, my older brother tried it out for the first time a couple weeks ago and caught on fairly quickly. He's blessed like that, as well as really coordinated. Here's a snap shot of his first run...err...paddle. 

Now...go forth and paddle board!

Little House on the Prairie...err...in the mountains!

Act 4, Scene 1

[in my lovely office in the wilds where the polar bears roam]

Welcome!!! After what feels like quite a long hiatus, I am back! What have I been up to you ask (it will be implied by the fact that you're reading this blog that you're at least a TINY bit curious!)? Well...I have finally, FINALLY completed the home selling process. This whole real estate process...while it started off a little shaky, went uncommonly well for the most part. Papers were signed without a hitch, keys handed over, belongings packed in mad scramble and stashed in some storage units with far less grace/symmetry that I would have desired. Time was of the essence, however, as my cousin (who has since moved into a room in the house that I sold with her friend, the buyer) was wonderful and able to find a few very helpful young men who spent a couple hours moving some larger furniture for me. I took advantage of their helpfulness by having them shove stuff wherever they wanted in the storage units. :)  They wouldn't even let me pay them! My faith in humanity is restored! So...that part of my life is a wrap. It feels SO lovely! People keep asking me if I "miss" my house and if i'm sad now that it's finally gone. I find that I really cannot answer in a manner which they understand because the answer to that is:

Absolutely not. 

That may or may not make you laugh...depending what camp you belong to. The "I love my home and can't imagine leaving it because moving is horrid" camp, or the "NEW ADVENTURE" camp...aka...those who find moving to be fun because it means you're starting down a new road. Regardless of which camp you can empathize with...I currently find myself not thinking about my first house at all...because it's no longer my home or my problem. I have heard that the new owner takes great pride in her yard. It makes me smile...the neighbors must love her already!

Okay...so...the astute among you are probably thinking...."The above picture is not a picture of Abby's old house!?" You're right. It's not. I LOVE having smart friends!  So...while I was going through the whole process of SELLING my house, my parent's were in the process of buying an "investment property." They were quite frequently at my house when I was (and wasn't) home, because it was in town and it is a bit of a drive to their house in the hills. This little house above is a perfect little split level that can be rented out as two apartments because it has a kitchen/bathroom/separate entry on both floors. It's on an acre that's both flat and fenced which will be nice considering the house in the hills is literally on the side of a mountain...not a whole lot of room for the trampoline or a mini soccer field. The best part? I'm totally going to bum a room in the basement off of the folks for when i'm in town...which means I don't have to pay RENT. LOVELY. I do imagine that before the summer is over I will have paid my dues in tiling/painting efforts (WHY would you paint the outside of your house TEAL?)...but that's okay...because I'd rather paint and tile than pay rent...yes...i'm cheap...I know. :-P.  

Oh, have I mentioned that it's FINALLY summer?!?! SO happy! 

[End Act 4, Scene 1]

Great Expectations...

Act 3, Scene 1

[In an office in the Alaskan Tundra where it is still snowing in spite of the fact that it is May 19th]

ABBY:

As you know, I'm moving. Well...kind of...i'm moving my things out of my house and into storage and then doing whatever I feel like after that. It's easy to have all these great expectations when you're getting ready to move...how it will be really quick if you have enough help, and how nothing will be ruined in storage, etc. In reality though...experience has taught me that it is the little things (like with so many things in life!) that are important if you want to have and "easy & successful" move. Mainly...GET GOOD BOXES & PACKING MATERIALS and EXPENSIVE TAPE!!!  You may not think it's worth it...but after having scrounged through recycling bins, hit up liquor stores and Barnes & Noble for boxes in the past, as well as occasionally just buying good old reliable U-Haul boxes...the latter is definitely the way to go. 3 reasons:

1. Uniformity of size. This may not sound like a big deal...but when you're working with heavy boxes full of books and there are a lot of them? Being able to save space and stack boxes that are all the same size is a huge time saver! Also...it is often the case that liquor store boxes are too small for many books, and Barnes & Noble boxes are HEAVY when all the way full. They're also oddly sized. 

2. New boxes are always stronger/less prone to leaking than salvaged boxes. Again...not a huge deal if you have good tape as well...but you'll go through a lot LESS of that expensive tape if you're not patching up holes in your boxes all day long. 

3. Time is money. At least that is how I believe the saying goes!  You will spend hours getting three or four boxes here or there stopping by all types of different stores and end up with all sorts of different boxes (a con if you're packing a storage unit!). U-Haul boxes are relatively cheap...especially when you factor in that you can order them online and have them delivered to your front door with no extra cost. Save yourself the time and frustration...Order boxes! 

All that being said...I ordered through U-Haul yesterday. They have options to either send it straight to your door, or to pick it up at a location near you! I had certain items I had to ship and others in stock at a store near me, so I split my order. Remember how I said following up was a good idea a few weeks ago? That advice still holds true. 

Case in Point:

Abby:

(dialing A-Z Rental where half the U-Haul order is to be picked up..WITH reference # handy!)

Heather:

Thank you for calling A-Z Rental, this is Heather...how may I help you?

Abby:

Hi Heather, ..[explained that I have an order number from U-Haul that says I can pick up certain items from A-Z Rental and that I have the confirmation # handy]. I just wanted to let you know that i'm not going to be able to pick it up until Thursday.

Heather:

A U-Haul order? I don't think we do that...or at least i've never done it before. Let me have that number and i'll try to find the order.

Abby:

Thank you. (Okay...so really?! How is it possible that you are a U-Haul affiliated truck rental/moving business and you have no idea of all your services/how to do it? Maybe she was new...she was really nice at least!)  

Heather:

Uhm...I can't seem to find any record of your purchase...how does U-Haul know if we have it in stock?

Abby:

I have no idea...all I know is that I paid for it online already and that I have a contract reference code.

Heather:

Well...I'm going to have to call U-Haul and figure this out...

[End Case in Point]

So like I said...Heather was really sweet and after awhile she called me back and said she had it all figured out, that she would pull my items from her inventory and things would be ready for me to pick up at any time.  All I know is that i'm really glad I called...because I would have been really sad if I thought I was prepared to pack immediately upon arriving back in Idaho only to have to STILL hunt down boxes! Here's to hoping that my expectations aren't dashed and everything is where it's supposed to be when I get home in four days!

[expectantly happy tune as Act 3, Scene 1 closes...]

Exploring the Last Frontier...sort of.

Act 2

[At the home of a childhood friend in Wasilla, AK]

ABBY:

There are a lot of things I could say about Alaska, that it's huge, daunting, freezing, light out 22 hours a day, that summers are fantastic (mostly) that it's an outdoors-man's dream...that there are blood sucking mosquitoes lurking around ever corner come spring time, etc. However, the word that first comes to mind when I think of it is "home." Not because I live there, or want to, but because I grew up there. I did all the things one does as a child there...from elementary sleepovers to high school sports or fishing & hunting for salmon and moose. Good memories all around! Last week I FINALLY had a week off from work and I spent my week off in  my hometown of Wasilla with a very good friend whom I have known since the 4th grade and kept in touch these past ...lots of years...!

Most of you know that i'm horrible with pictures....so I didn't take any! Besides...I grew up there...why would I need a picture!? I know...bad excuse...but it's all I've got. The above photo was taken flying TO the slope from Anchorage, so you can see some of the mountains/hills below. It looks sufficiently "Alaskan" for this post I thought. If not...Google is your friend. You can find all the gorgeous images of Alaska that you desire...from a much better camera than my phone!

I mentioned exploring in the title...I say that facetiously because being quite honest...I stayed "home" at Amanda's a lot. I had an awesome time visiting with her and her family and we tackled some home improvement projects that had been on her "list" while I was there. I LOVE home improvement!!! This surprises you? It's because i'm getting rid of my house...I know.  The thing about improvements though..is that once everything has been improved...it's time to move on...or at least that's how I see it!  Where was I...? Oh yes...improving Amanda's home.

We spent several different outings looking at new light fixtures/possibilities for the other unit in the duplex that she owns and found some awesome fixtures for a good price at what feels like a blast from the past...Brown's Electric! I spent HOURS there as a kid...possibly days...as my parents picked out lighting for all of the 5 houses they built in the same town.

Then we went through an amazing amount of clothes...about 10 trash bags full and sorted through and gave away that which she didn't need and brought in a dresser from the garage and put things away. I shortened blinds, helped hang pictures, went shopping with Amanda and Gary for her little girls' bedroom and then we took out the crib and put in a twin. All of those things required digging through many things that were already in the garage...so on my last night Amanda fell asleep and Gary and I (mostly Gary...i'm really good at the motivational support thing!) re-organized the garage. All in all..it was quite productive!  It may not sound like much, but with a busy day full of real estate for Amanda, the evenings were quite taken up with projects!

On the last day I DID see/try something new! Amanda's good friend Gary took us out to eat at Club Paris in Anchorage. Apparently very well known for their steak, they have been in Alaska for my entire life...at least...and I have never heard of them! Gary insisted that I try the best thing they had and since he is a food/restaurant connoisseur, I listened! That being said...the filet was DELICIOUS...and well worth a trip if you're ever in town!

Peace out folks...Its nose back to the grindstone in the good old Arctic for me!

[End Act 2 ]

The Grass is Always Greener...when there IS no grass!

Act 1, Scene 3

[STILL in the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle in a tiny office..which looks nothing like the picture below]

ABBY:

Okay...so you're wondering what prompted the picture of a perfectly manicured lawn...complete with straight lines and not a blade out of place. Or...maybe you aren't. Regardless, i'm going to talk about it! People are always saying that the grass is greener on the other side. I am not going to debate whether or not that is myth or reality because it isn't really pertinent right now. However, for the purpose of this blog post...the grass is greener when there IS no grass in the first place! Please refer to the embarrassing moment below:

HOME BUYER: (text message this afternoon)

Hi! I was wondering if you would mind if I stopped by and mowed the lawn? 

ABBY:

What?! It should have been mowed already.  I specifically set up an appointment for someone to come mow it last week?!

HB:

Well a friend of mine drove by and said it's getting pretty high...so you know...i'd be more than happy to do it!

ABBY: (after dialing the lawn mowers who didn't answer and obviously didn't mow the lawn either)

Okay...well...I can't get in touch with the boys where were supposed to mow...so if you really want to...you're awesome!

[end of texting]

It is a commonly known fact among my friends that one of the main reasons I loathe being a homeowner at this point in my life is the LAWN. [cue horror music]. Really..it's impossible to keep your lawn impeccable from 3000 miles away. Sure there are lawn services...but then there are also sprinkler system malfunctions and no one has a key to get in and check the box and/or fix the problem, and then the neighbors are offended because there are a few less than lusciously green places on your lawn and for HEAVEN'S SAKE...they are trying to sell their home and my lawn makes the whole neighborhood unappealing. Apparently. In my defense...this is a very obsessive neighbor, and the grass, while not perfect, was fine. Still cut, cleaned up etc...just a little less green.  Please note: this is apparently a home owner fail. My neighbors took it upon themselves to come over whenever they wanted and put THEIR sprinklers on MY lawn without so much as a by your leave. I'm sure they meant it to be helpful...but really..it's CREEPY to have who knows who wandering about your lawn at 9 pm at night and turning on a sprinkler you turned off already and have no idea whom it belongs to!  Also...lawns come with weeds...lots of them if you're not careful...and I don't have the time to be careful! 

Having said all that...my HB is a gem. She is going to mow her lawn like a good home owner should, and the neighbors will love her. I, on the other hand, am only too happy to hand her the keys as soon as possible and be lawn-less for awhile!

[Lawn mower in the background as Act 1, Scene 3 closes...]

The Importance of Being Earnest...when dealing with real estate.

Act 1, Scene 2

[Once again in an office amid the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle]

ABBY:

Hello again. It is amazingly enough STILL frozen outside and all I see is WHITE. Blinding white, because the blessedly apparent sunshine is reflecting off of  hundreds of miles of snow covered ground with not a shady spot to be seen. Winter here is going to last until June at least by the look of things. It gives one a very real appreciation for having a home somewhere like, oh I don't know, Idaho maybe, where spring is spring and summer is summer and winter only lasts a few months and people actually like it because of that! I was contemplating this very fact yesterday which made me wonder why I hadn't in fact heard anything from the land of 4 real seasons recently. My title company was supposed to call me back, there was an earnest money agreement to be signed, and according to my home buyer, all the paperwork was in order. These thoughts bring me to the importance of being earnest in dealing with real estate! 

Earnest: [adjective] serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker.

Origin: before 1000; Middle English erneste, Old English eornoste  (adj.); Middle English ernest, Old English eornost (noun); cognate with Dutch, German ernest

You have to be focused, you have to follow through and make a sincere effort to MAKE things happen, even though it's not really your job. One would think that because it isn't your job, and it IS someone else's, said someone would actually DO their job. I'm telling you from experience...do not take that for granted! Things get lost, people forget or do things incorrectly and in the end...you're the one with all your belongings packed to move, no where to go, your friends here to help you move from really far away (like I said...experience!) and a real estate transaction that is not completed on time like it was supposed to be. Please proceed to cautionary tale...

[Flashback to early yesterday afternoon...in the same office...but a grey sweatshirt and no ball cap]

ABBY: (Thinking I should call and check on things...it's been awfully quiet)

[Dials title company on the phone]

Hi, this is Abby, i'm calling to check on the progress for the sale of  [insert home address here]. Is Karen available? 

RECEPTIONIST:

Of course...I'll transfer you. She may be on another call but she should be off soon. 

[cue elevator/on hold music...they are basically the same]

ABBY: [waits for a few minutes and then dials again because the transfer went south and they hung up]

Hi, it's Abby...I just called you...is Karen available now?

RECEPTIONIST:

Our apologies! Transferring you immediately. 

KAREN:

Hello...Karen speaking. How can I help you?

ABBY:

Hi Karen, I spoke to you about a week ago and you were going to open escrow for me for a house that i'm selling by owner.  The home buyer dropped off the purchase and sale agreement as well as an escrow check about 8 days ago? House address is: ....

KAREN:

I'm sorry...I'm not sure what you're talking about? No one has dropped anything off to me!

ABBY:

Excuse me?! (Facepalm)

[End of flashback...]

ABBY:

Long story short, the home buyer in spite of my explicit directions, gave the paper work to Aaron instead of Karen, and Karen had no idea what was going on, and Aaron had yet to get in touch with me because it was just another few papers deposited into his already  heavy workload for the week.  Our closing date, as I said before, is a not very far off May 28th and it is pretty imperative that things start moving. With a lot of apologies and a little bit of prompting I was handed off to Karen's assistant who said that everything looked like it was in order and that I didn't need to do anything. I hesitated momentarily and then asked nice and politely if there had been an earnest money check dropped off.  She said there was. Again...people are great...but sometimes they're busy and they don't really know what's going on. I inquired as to the status of the earnest money agreement form and if they buyer had signed it...because I had most definitely not! She gave a little gasp of surprise that I knew what that even was and a bit of dismay that she had forgotten all about it and then assured me that she would e-mail it to me within the hour.  She did, I signed, and she is currently ordering all the documents from my bank and the buyers lender, etc. However...if I had not acted on my earnest desire to sell and make sure everything was running smoothly, I very well could have arrived home in three weeks to find that nothing had happened at all! So be focused! Learn from other people's real estate snafus and do your homework on what you need to have before the process is over! All this makes me think again of how excited I am for the open road, no material attachments, and a distinct lack of utility bills of any kind. 

[End Act 1, Scene 2]

Introductions and the Obvious

A Day in the Life of an American Wanderer

Scene:

America: because I could be anywhere in it upon any given day.

Abroad: Again...one never knows...thus..."Wanderer".

Characters:

ABBY: The american wanderer herself and your average American 5 ft. 6 in. 20 something female.

MISC: Any and all she might meet/greet/communicate with upon her wanderings

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Act 1, Scene 1

[In an office in the frozen tundra within the Arctic Circle]

ABBY: 

Today is the day. The day that upon talking to a good friend on chat who had the fantastic idea to start a blog "just for fun" and because she could, I decided to follow in her footsteps because, after all, it was a very good idea! Starting off, I would like to take this moment to issue the following disclaimer:

This is for fun. Yep. FUN. Which means that if my punctuation is incorrect, the "script" is in the incorrect format, or anything else is glaringly wrong, I apologize in advance...i'm not a professional writer...and this is for FUN. :) 

There...now that that is out of the way we can all move ahead. Here is what you need to know about me (if you don't already). I have a job that I sometimes love and sometimes don't (like all of us!) that allows me to have two solid weeks off every month. This means that for two weeks out of every month...I get to go wherever I want! YES.  

Three years ago I was moved to begin "wandering" about the U.S. after having lived with a family member for awhile (which was not quite as pleasant as one would have hoped for either of us). I decided i'd had enough, packed my bags and put my things in storage and commenced upon a year long 'tour' of the U.S. and New Zealand to visit my much loved and dearly missed high school and college friends with whom I still keep in touch.  They all very graciously welcomed me into their homes and lives for two weeks at a time and I had a blast. Surprisingly enough...saved a lot of money which allowed me to get rid of all those pesky student loans. I'm very goal oriented you see. I make choices and then go for it with all the energy I can! Having traveled and lived out of a suitcase for a year and paid off my loans, I decided the next goal was to buy a house. Naturally. I then achieved that goal by buying a foreclosure about a year and a half ago. Fixing it all up, putting new carpet, window coverings, appliances etc in took me about 8 months and I spent my time going "home" every time off, visiting with family (which was awesome). About two weeks ago, after a few months of prayer, I decided to put my lovely little house on the market and commence wandering again for a myriad of reasons that are much too boring to go into.  It "sold" within 72 hours, and I am currently navigating the waters of selling my first house from 3000 miles away while i'm at work.   

Enter Stage Left:

HOME BUYER: 

I really love the house and I would like to close as soon as possible! Even before the closing date of May 28th that you've set if that's possible? (Text message just now)

ABBY:

(Thinking: Are you kidding!? There is no way that is humanly possible!)  You're probably wondering why that isn't possible.  Here's the deal. I didn't really expect my house to sell in 72 hours, and I had things planned! So i'm off to work a 3 week hitch, and then i'm hanging out in Alaska with a friend for a week...and then going back to work for a week...which means that i'm not actually back in the same town as my house until May 23rd.  I haven't packed, I haven't cleaned, I haven't done ANYTHING other than put the house up for sale by owner and leave.  Right now, as it stands, i'm only going to have 5 days at home before closing...and the buyer walk through usually happens the day before...which leaves me 4 awesomely full days of packing, moving and storing my stuff, as well as cleaning and touch up painting for the buyer.  Like I said before...I decide...then go for it with gusto! It should be fun. It's a challenge after all! But...I have had to say no on the earlier closing. Luckily, the buyer is a super nice lady and we should have things worked out beautifully. I've been blessed. For sale by owner, or any real estate transactions for that matter...usually do not go this smoothly. All in all though, i'm looking forward to it being over so that I can commence wandering once again!

[Cue mellow music...as Scene 1 closes...]