The Battle Commences

John had his appointment with the apartment manager lady today and went in fully armed with documentation and plenty of support to back his case. Problem was, the surprise was ruined and she saw him coming. So she went on the offensive right away and didn't give John a chance to even speak his piece. When he did get a word in edgewise she wouldn't listen and maintained the position that she was right despite the fact that she was in direct opposition to the law. It was like a smack in the face when she handed him the 30 day notice to vacate.

So I get a call from John while I'm at work and he says "we're movin" which I thought was a joke at first since we've been saying that for a month. Then I freaked out when I realized he was serious as he told me this story. Fortunately by this time he had already been out and seen a couple of other complexes and had an idea of what was out there. He picked me up from work and we went to see a place that is closer to campus, way nicer, way bigger, and much newer. Plus, they were running a deal right now so the rent was great. So we have an application in and we'll hear from them tomorrow.

So, you ask, who is the victor? One could say the manager witch, I mean lady, wins because we are in fact vacating the premises. Or, as I am choosing to see it, we win because we don't have to stay in a place that neither of us really liked, we don't ever have to see her ugly face again, and she lost a tenant that paid on time and kept the place nice because she was belligerent and rude right from the start. Yeah, the only cookies she's getting from me will be thrown through her window. You decide who you think wins. But I'll tell you what, I cannot wait to move into this new place because it is luxury after this hole!

You Complete Me

Yes, I am complete once again with my other half home with me from California. I flew out last Thursday and we stared packing up John's stuff and cleaning the room and bathroom he was living in this summer. John was glad to be done, but he had a good internship experience.

My parents actually came in to town on Friday night to start their anniversary vacation. We met up with them and had dinner together which was so much fun! I've missed them the last couple of weeks so it was nice to catch up.

Saturday morning we woke up, packed, and loaded up the car. We said goodbye to Sue, who has been just great this summer, and headed off to my Grandma's house to meet up with Mom and Dad again. Then the 5 of us drove down to San Diego and spent 5 wonderful sun-filled hours at Sea World. It was crowded and hot, but it was so much fun, too! At least, I thought so. We didn't do any of the rides and just went to the shows and animal exhibits. I will admit that the Shamu show brought tears to my eyes - I love those whales! Then we got to go see my Uncle Dale and Aunt Teri and visit them in their new house which is just beautiful.

Sunday we had a lovely waffle breakfast that Grandma made us and got to go to church together. We came home and had some dinner then John and I had to leave to drive home to Arizona. The drive was uneventful, which I think is the best kind.

I'm so glad to have John home again - it made it easier to get through the day and I was so excited to come home! So welcome home, honey!

Apartment Update & Other Fun

So we are just a few days away from signing our renewal contract to stay at our apartment complex. And John has been furiously researching and making calls about this program that supposedly says they will kick us out if we make over a certain amount. Let me just tell you, this is war.

John has found out that not only did the apartment manager lie to us on several occasions in this whole situation, we could sue her for the things she's told us. John has all the supporting legal documents and policies which he will bring when we go to sign the contract. And I don't know if I want to be there because it's going to be rather awkward. But John's excited... The manager is just lucky we're not litigious people or she'd be in real trouble. As it is, I think I might make her cookies just to ease the sting a little.

The lessons I've learned from this is to always be as honest as you can, don't be afraid to say you don't know, and be careful when dealing with people because you just never know who you might be offending.

On a fun note, I discovered this blog last week and it made me so happy. First, because I love baking and cakes, and second, because it is freakin' hilarious. Check out Cake Wrecks.

On an even better note, John has only a few more days to go at his internship and I'll be bringing him home with me this weekend. It's almost over! Yay!

And then I think about all the things I was going to do while John was gone and realize that I haven't done hardly any of them... but I'd rather have him home. I will be a happy wife next week.

M.A.S.H.

If you are even close to my age it is likely you have played the Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House game. On the four sides of a square you write MASH, names of boys (or girls) you could marry, number of children, then a city or place. Based on a number you pick the choices are eliminated until you have one of each. I always thought a shack would be the worst type of habitation, but I am quickly learning that an apartment isn't much better. At least, not one owned by someone else and 'managed' by some random assistant.

It is time for us to renew our contract so we can keep living in the apartment we've been in for the last year. It is not my favorite place, as most of you probably already know, but the price is right, the location is good, and the pool is close by. When John and I went down to the office last weekend to sign our new contract we were surprised by a 'bond program' we apparently signed on for last year. We remember signing the papers, but the office girls who explained it to us neglected to tell us that if we exceed a certain income we would have to move out of our apartment. That's right, I make too much money so they were going to kick us out. Seriously?! Seriously.

Long story short, we've figured it out, but it has been a huge hassle every step of the way. If one more thing had gone wrong or if they had made me jump through just one more hoop we would be moving somewhere else. As it is, John and I are both bitter about the whole thing now. Fortunately, we aren't planning on being here much longer than a year so we won't have to go through it again. Hopefully. You never know...

Visitors Welcome

That's right, Lauren and Julia came to visit this last weekend. I always have a fantastic time with my sisters but this time was great because it's been so long since we've all been together. We went to dinner at Macaroni Grill (it was dark in there and the pic didn't come out great), helped Lar with her A1 Sauce contest entry, went shopping where John found some awesome shoes, and had fun just hanging out. It reached record highs here in Phoenix this weekend, but they didn't mind - Ju said the heat was 'exotic.' They might think differently if they actually lived here, but maybe not. I was so glad to have them here - I absolutely adore my sisters. We really are three peas in a pod although maybe differently shaped every now and then. We're hoping to get together again the end of August cuz fun like this needs an encore. There's no one like sisters!

Happy 4th of July in CA

It was so nice to be in California for July 4th because the weather was lovely. We got to see Srun and Harry, too, which was fun. We went to an Angels game and they had a really good fireworks show afterward. It was even better than the show we saw the next night at Disneyland. We also went down to Laguna Beach and John got to go swimming in the ocean for the first time. The lifeguard actually came down to make sure he was okay after a really big wave.

On the holiday we visited with Srun and Harry and their family which was so much fun. We sat around talking and ate great BBQ. John got his pic taken with a monster truck and we watched fireworks. It was actually quite cold out and I had to wrap up in a blanket while we ate chocolate pudding snack pies. It was a great weekend.

Thanks Srun and Harry! And thank you California!

Visit to San Diego

This last weekend John and I did some exploring in San Diego. I hoped to go to the famous Zoo but when John woke up feeling sick and I woke up with a headache we didn't get up in time to make it worth the admission price. So we started at Balboa Park and figured we'd see what it was all about. And it was awesome! I loved the architecture and all the museums plus we saw a guy playing the diggery-doo (or however you spell it).

After the park we went to a Padres game. Petco Park is absolutely beautiful, probably the nicest one I've been to. It was great to just hang out together and watch a ball game. Unfortunately, traffic was horrible on the way home and we got back pretty late which did not help John feel better. But he's doing better now. Side note: he's almost halfway done with his internship now.

*I discovered Picasa and I think I like it... what do you think of my collage?