I had a fantastic weekend, which I'm starting to become wary of. Last time I had a great weekend, I came home to a room eviction, three nights on the couch, and a few additional nights' worth of inhaled paint fumes. This time around, I got a text message from my loan officer telling me that they can't process my renovation loan before my closing date. But I'll get to that later.
Atlanta was the weekend's destination. I had four days off, thanks to Fall Break, and so I decided to spend it with my brother, his wife, and their daughter. Only, their second child arrived two days before I did, so make that brother, his wife, and their two daughters.
I wasn't sure what to feel upon meeting my second niece for the first time. Meeting Paige (niece #1) was more emotional than I'd expected. I fell in love instantly and may or may not have shed a few happy tears on the flight home. She was so little, so sweet, so warm. I remember thinking to myself as I held her, "Who knew you could fall in love with a stranger so quickly?"
Meeting Alice (niece #2) was less emotional than I expected, probably because I didn't get the same quiet bonding time with her. Instead, I spent the better part of the weekend wrangling Paige to give her parents time with the baby or with their pillows. Of course, the shrill shrieks that Alice regularly emits didn't help, either. Meanwhile, Paige loves to stare at the baby, point at her, and kiss the crown of her head. "Bobby," she says, trying to say baby. "Ah-iss," she says, trying to say Alice. Couldn't get the kid to remember or pronounce my name at any point during my stay, but she got her sister's name almost immediately. Skewed priorities, obviously. We'll have to fix that.
Sweet, wonderful Paige. I just love her. She's a rough and tumble kind of kid that dresses almost exclusively in adorable, girly clothing. She is best behaved when there is food to eat or people to watch. She sways when music comes on, and she freaks out when one or both of her parents walks in the door after being away for any period of time. Like a happy freak out. She smiles, shrieks, and throws her hands up in the air. Usually it's followed by running to the person. She also does this strange shuddering thing when she's really happy; we don't know what that's about (weirdo). She's my kinda girl.
One of the greatest parts of being an aunt (and I imagine, of being a parent) is slowly seeing a child's personality take shape. Paige is getting there. She's got her quirks and her preferences, and she'll only grow into those more. Alice is pretty different from Paige already: hair on her head, crying all the time, and nursing with sluggish indifference. I look forward to seeing who they both become.
I also got to meet up with a friend from college while I was in Atlanta. He recently moved there for work, and when I found out, I got really excited. There was a semester in undergrad, after 6 weeks together in Morocco, where we went out to lunch 2-3x per week after a French class and talked until our next class. Having dinner was like stepping back into that moment, only this time we were talking about the complications of adult life: dating, work, home purchases, etc.
I took an overnight bus on the way to Atlanta, but I drove back with my sister Abby. Sure, I didn't make the right turn at one point, and we spent an extra hour or two weaving through rural Georgia roads, but hey, we made it home. And we got to listen to country music, to laugh so hard we almost peed our pants, and to make plans for what we'd do if the car broke down on one of these roads and someone came out of the nearby woods. There was a lot of talk about horror movies and crime shows, which I had to put a stop to when it got dark. (A girl's gotta sleep.)
The text message about the renovation loan problem came the morning after I returned. It read:
"Rebekah, we can't close by Oct. 31. My underwriter's can't do it that soon on a renovation loan. At this point we need an extension to the end of Nov or we need to do a regular conventional loan and you can do an equity loan for the repairs. I'm sorry for the confusion. I kept thinking we would have time. I think we should do the regular loan. I am going into an appt for 9am. Will call you after that."
As you can imagine, my stomach bottomed out. We've spent the last 7-8 weeks working on this house, and it felt like a rug was being pulled out from under me. Was the house deal really going to fall apart at the last minute? And not enough time? We had SO MUCH TIME. It made me angry. What was I paying these people for, if not to keep us on a timeline? If not to make sure that everything got done? I yelled. I vented to my parents. I scramble-scramble-scrambled to find a way to make it work.
And I did.
And then there was more confusion and uncertainty. And then we got it cleared up. And then more confusion and scrambling. And clarity. And confusion and clarity.
I'm beginning to realize that buying a house is like teaching for the first time. Everyone tells you that it's going to be hyper-stressful, but you don't really understand just how much it sucks until you do it. I shared my frustrations about this with my dad, who responded, "Wait until you're in the midst of renovations. Then you'll really be stressed and frustrated." Gee, thanks, dad. Way to make your daughter feel better.
Of course, I shouldn't complain about my parents. They were part of my scramble-scramble-scramble, and it is because of their help that this house will go to closing, if it does. As if I weren't already terribly indebted to them for everything they've done for me throughout my life, I find myself even more grateful for them than I've ever been.
Today, I checked my personal email and cell phone more than I have ever done during a school day ever. I am ethically opposed to doing so while I'm teaching (since I'm supposed to be teaching), but today, all of that had to go to hell. I had to sign and scan papers. I had to forward insurance quotes. I had to sign and scan more papers. At this point, success seems to be coming down to whether or not paper work can get done in time, and so I can't wait until 5pm to respond like I usually do. Luckily, I'm like two weeks ahead of my yearly plan, so the kids are gonna be alright. Plus, they were working on metamorphosis art today. They don't really need me for that, right? (Although I did get observed today, so I had to be a little more vigilant during that twenty minute span.)
The closing is set for next Friday. I refuse to assume that I'll be signing papers and handing over a check that day. This process has been full of everything but guarantees. Every time I think we've crossed our t's, they unravel. Every time I think things are going to get easier, they get harder. If it doesn't work out, I'll be devastated. If it does work out, I'll probably cry anyway. But I can't bring myself to jinx it.
It seems fitting somehow that my closing is set for Halloween. To make a bad pun, only time will tell if that day brings a trick...or a very-expensive and stress-inducing treat. Either way, throw out some prayers for me over the next ten days (and the months that follow). I'm gonna need 'em.
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| Sisters Meeting For the First Time |
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| Paige Having a Ball with A Balloon |
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