The Good News and the Bad News

Normally I like to start with the bad news first, so I can end on a good note, but today I'm going to start with the good news.

Good news: We are coming very close to selling our house in Bowling Green. Some of you, Todd Gibbs, may think of this as the bad news, because it means that we're severing our last material tie to Kentucky. But considering the financial strain that awaits us if we don't sell it, Gilbert and I consider this good news. This has been about a month in the making, but I haven't taken the opportunity to write about it yet, which is a good thing, because it allows me to write to you about a much more edge-of-your-seat story today, after you take into consideration the bad news.

Bad news (which, thanks to our realtor, Mark Miller, might not be so terrible in the long run): #1-We went to Italy knowing that our inspection would take place while we were gone, but certain that all would go well and we would pass inspection. Little did we know that our patio was slowing sliding down a hill. Really, it sounds worse than it is, which I enjoy, because I like to imagine that you're gasping right now. We knew that the patio was cracked and that it had pulled away from the house a little (it had separated from the siding just below the back door), but we thought that was just because it was brand new when we bought it and things had settled some. No. The hill that the left of our house teeters on is causing the patio to scoot away from the house. Nice. So we're spending more than we hoped on getting the patio ripped up and re-done. At least I think that's what's happening. At this point, I don't care now it's done, as long as it's done.
#2-Mark called today while we were having lunch. I could tell by the way Gilbert was talking that it might not be good. When I gave him the third-degree after he got off the phone, the news was this: We have termites. Good grief. The good-news aspect of this bad news is that we have been diligent enough to remember each year to get the exterminators out to check for these little critters. How, you ask, in this case, is it possible that we have these new tenants in our home? Good question. I wish I had an answer, but I don't. But I'm certain that we've had annual inspections every year since we first moved in, so we're sure that the cost of evicting these creatures will be covered by the pest-control company. Until I get home and I can find every receipt for inspection from 2003-2006. Anyone picked up on the problem yet? Yep. Last year was 2007. I can't find the receipt. But I remember vaguely not wanting the inspector to ring the door bell because Cole was napping. So surely he came. After a little searching and a little panicking, I find the check register that shows that they had been paid. Whew! In the meantime, Mark is making phone calls and checking on all this for us, but I'm too anxious to wait and hear it from him. I must research myself. When he does call back, however, everything seems to be fine. The company will make a trip to the house and work on getting things cleaned up.

Thank goodness for Mark Miller. He has been awesome in all this, especially since our need to work long-distance has made it hard for us to do many of these things ourselves. When I got off the phone with him this afternoon, he said, "See you next week" (which is when we're set to come to Bowling Green for closing). Again, whew. I'll be glad when it's all done. But don't be sad, Bowling Green friends. It just means that when we come down, we'll follow the example of those cute little termites and find homes not ours to invade.