Erika's Update--Aug. 17-23

Busy!

I just finished the last set of lectures for my MA on Sunday. I have one paper to write. Then maybe OU will send my diploma!

Jeremy's Birthday was Monday. We never have free time and I didn't get a chance to bake a cake. :-( We went to Nando's in Cambridge, because it's a great place for families. It was a nice evening, but could have been better if I had time to plan something. Jeremy has been wanting to start yoga with me in the morning. So, I got him a yoga mat and a DVD of John Oliver doing stand up. I have ordered him another gift, but I don't want to put it on here and ruin the surprise.

For some reason, in Britain, their plumbing sucks. They came up with this plumbing system where a pipe just opens up into a drain to dispose of all of your waste water under the house and then it flows to the mains. There are two problems with this: 1) The drain has a U joint, much like the pipes under your toilet or sink; 2) This system was invented to install plumbing in existing houses that did not have plumbing to begin with--and it's used for new houses too.

Our landlords suck--they are poor and live in Spain. They won't pay for anything and flip out over their house, though we take VERY good care of it. I knew they wouldn't pay for the drain to be cleared, so I just scheduled a company to come do it and pay for it. Guess what was blocking the drain? Their dog's toy. Must've been there backing it up for years! It smells awful and this weekend I have to clean out the area under the patio.

Jeremy has yet to write something for the blog, but was supportive of putting it together. Typical man. Says it just because it's what she wants to hear. We'll see if he actually does anything.

I'll try to add some more stories about how our family came to be ASAP.

In the meantime, we have listed one of our lots in North Carolina. 3.5 acres with walking access to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and range views for $89,900. For more information call my mom, Denise Harris--our agent--on 828 421 3261. If she doesn't answer, leave a message and she'll call you back.

We listed it because we found a house that we looooove and we really want. I have a feeling it will be gone by the time our land sells. That will make me very sad. It was built in 1979, 2000 sq. ft. +/-, on 1/2 acre lot in League City, TX for $209,900. Here's the link: http://www.har.com/39484986

I've calculated and if we bought it, I would have to have a job paying no less than $36,000 within 6 months of purchase for us to be able to survive. If I can ever get a job, I have no doubt it will pay enough. The problem is, the only fields hiring are engineering, medical, legal, and accounting/finance. There's always insurance sales, but there is no way in hell I'm selling insurance.