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Where has Onyxavia been?
8 years ago
So I guess updating from this journal (clicky clicky).
I've moved every year for eight years. Sometimes twice in a year. Somehow, I managed to upkeep a career and freelance work on top of it, among my personal obligations. I don't know how. Honestly, the stress affected me heavily. I also have a slew of health issues that make it difficult. Blah blah blah, sob story, you guys get that all the time I'm sure.
This isn't a sob story. Anyway.
So the last rental house we lived in was fine until the basement flooded. The rental company did literally nothing to alleviate the situation, causing mold and asbestos issues. We ended up having to hire an attorney to break the lease and, even then, they were threatening a lawsuit. Which, quite frankly, had they proceeded, I would have counter sued. I'm so done with rental companies screwing over their tenants.
But they didn't. We broke the lease and bought a home - five years ahead of our planned schedule. It's a bit smaller than we wanted but man, it's been a lifesaver. Brand new 2016 appliances with warranty, never been used. Still had the tape and stickers on it. The interior had been renovated but the exterior and plumbing needed work. We moved in August 2016 and I started working massive overtime to make money for a new roof.
It's somewhere in here that I just brain fogged out FA entirely. I don't know what happened honestly. I guess just life.
On March 6th, we had a devastating storm. It knocked a tree out and we thanked our lucky stars that it didn't actually hit the house. The storm did, however, do $16k worth of damage to the house from hail and wind. Honestly, it was kind of a blessing. We have homeowners insurance which covered a new roof, gutters and siding. Remember that I had been busting my rump for a new roof? Now it was covered!
However, in the process, we also wanted to update the look of our house. The outside was this ugly, dated tan and shit brown (no, seriously). It had this old 70's car port, rusted light fixtures and a rusted flag pole. Everything about this house on the outside was very "eh" despite being gorgeous on the inside.
So I poured myself into my job. I've been flying out right and left (seriously, I'm on a plane about twice a month or so), taking every single event I can get and generally working myself into the ground.
In the end, we were able to add to the siding, gutters and roof all new exterior light fixtures, new faux shutters, a new mailbox and numbers on the house and a fresh coat of paint on the foundation.
In addition to all of this, I've also been working on furniture for our house because, surprise, surprise, cheap furniture just doesn't survive eight moves. In the past year, I've added a console table, an entry table, a mudroom set (bench, wall shelf, and everything that goes on it), a coffee nook, two new cat trees, a new bedroom set, a vanity, and... probably more than what I can remember. I also have matching desks coming in soon for the office. This will be the first time my husband and I will have a complete-looking office and not a "hey, this desk we found on the curb kinda works so yeah."
Basically, we're becoming adults I guess?
The plumbing has been kind of an ongoing issue. There's roots in the system but it's going to cost a bit to dig it up. Originally, we just thought that the drain couldn't support the flood of water newer washers put out. After spending $750 to overhaul that system, we found out literally this morning that it's not inside the house that's the problem. So we're looking at some expense there.
We're also fighting insurance and the contractors for the house on expenses for the siding. The contractors say we won't owe them more than $500 for repairs but our insurance is wanting to lay almost 3k on us. I'm letting them duke it out as I have an e-mail stating how much we'll owe our contractors max, so if I really gotta, I'll take someone to court.
But for all that sounds horrible, this has actually been a really, really, really good year. We own our own home, we have a savings and we're very stable!
I could just pay for the plumbing and contractors out of pocket. I have the savings to cover it. But I'd like to not eat into it. My job is officially in the slow season, so I'm not going to get enough from that to cover expenses. So I'm back.
I would have eventually come back anyway. I honestly had no idea that I had uncompleted commissions and I'm super disappointed in myself that I just totally forgot. That's not something I've ever done before and I don't want to get a rep for that. Life just got in the way and my brain did a slipsidoodle. For some reason, I was super sure I had no obligations to FA. Derp derp derp.
But that's being taken care of as we speak.
I'm taking commissions in batches from now until March when my job kicks back in full time. I just want to keep our savings secure and I feel like the work on the house is threatening that. So that's my main goal.
And next time, when I blip out for a while, I will make sure all of my commissions are complete. Herpaderpadur.
So thank you all for your patience and uh, hi for the first time in about two years!
I've moved every year for eight years. Sometimes twice in a year. Somehow, I managed to upkeep a career and freelance work on top of it, among my personal obligations. I don't know how. Honestly, the stress affected me heavily. I also have a slew of health issues that make it difficult. Blah blah blah, sob story, you guys get that all the time I'm sure.
This isn't a sob story. Anyway.
So the last rental house we lived in was fine until the basement flooded. The rental company did literally nothing to alleviate the situation, causing mold and asbestos issues. We ended up having to hire an attorney to break the lease and, even then, they were threatening a lawsuit. Which, quite frankly, had they proceeded, I would have counter sued. I'm so done with rental companies screwing over their tenants.
But they didn't. We broke the lease and bought a home - five years ahead of our planned schedule. It's a bit smaller than we wanted but man, it's been a lifesaver. Brand new 2016 appliances with warranty, never been used. Still had the tape and stickers on it. The interior had been renovated but the exterior and plumbing needed work. We moved in August 2016 and I started working massive overtime to make money for a new roof.
It's somewhere in here that I just brain fogged out FA entirely. I don't know what happened honestly. I guess just life.
On March 6th, we had a devastating storm. It knocked a tree out and we thanked our lucky stars that it didn't actually hit the house. The storm did, however, do $16k worth of damage to the house from hail and wind. Honestly, it was kind of a blessing. We have homeowners insurance which covered a new roof, gutters and siding. Remember that I had been busting my rump for a new roof? Now it was covered!
However, in the process, we also wanted to update the look of our house. The outside was this ugly, dated tan and shit brown (no, seriously). It had this old 70's car port, rusted light fixtures and a rusted flag pole. Everything about this house on the outside was very "eh" despite being gorgeous on the inside.
So I poured myself into my job. I've been flying out right and left (seriously, I'm on a plane about twice a month or so), taking every single event I can get and generally working myself into the ground.
In the end, we were able to add to the siding, gutters and roof all new exterior light fixtures, new faux shutters, a new mailbox and numbers on the house and a fresh coat of paint on the foundation.
In addition to all of this, I've also been working on furniture for our house because, surprise, surprise, cheap furniture just doesn't survive eight moves. In the past year, I've added a console table, an entry table, a mudroom set (bench, wall shelf, and everything that goes on it), a coffee nook, two new cat trees, a new bedroom set, a vanity, and... probably more than what I can remember. I also have matching desks coming in soon for the office. This will be the first time my husband and I will have a complete-looking office and not a "hey, this desk we found on the curb kinda works so yeah."
Basically, we're becoming adults I guess?
The plumbing has been kind of an ongoing issue. There's roots in the system but it's going to cost a bit to dig it up. Originally, we just thought that the drain couldn't support the flood of water newer washers put out. After spending $750 to overhaul that system, we found out literally this morning that it's not inside the house that's the problem. So we're looking at some expense there.
We're also fighting insurance and the contractors for the house on expenses for the siding. The contractors say we won't owe them more than $500 for repairs but our insurance is wanting to lay almost 3k on us. I'm letting them duke it out as I have an e-mail stating how much we'll owe our contractors max, so if I really gotta, I'll take someone to court.
But for all that sounds horrible, this has actually been a really, really, really good year. We own our own home, we have a savings and we're very stable!
I could just pay for the plumbing and contractors out of pocket. I have the savings to cover it. But I'd like to not eat into it. My job is officially in the slow season, so I'm not going to get enough from that to cover expenses. So I'm back.
I would have eventually come back anyway. I honestly had no idea that I had uncompleted commissions and I'm super disappointed in myself that I just totally forgot. That's not something I've ever done before and I don't want to get a rep for that. Life just got in the way and my brain did a slipsidoodle. For some reason, I was super sure I had no obligations to FA. Derp derp derp.
But that's being taken care of as we speak.
I'm taking commissions in batches from now until March when my job kicks back in full time. I just want to keep our savings secure and I feel like the work on the house is threatening that. So that's my main goal.
And next time, when I blip out for a while, I will make sure all of my commissions are complete. Herpaderpadur.
So thank you all for your patience and uh, hi for the first time in about two years!
It's nice to see you are, I'm glad you ended up dealing with the flooding issue, I remember reading about it back then.
It's also nice to hear you bought a house, I hope it continues to go well, as you said yourself, it's been a good year. Which is nice to hear after that last journal, well, the one on the flooding I mean. <w>
I doubt the commissioners could blame ya too much. Since that situation just stinks. -v-
So, hello again since about twoish years ago. :>
I hope all goes good in the meantime tho, I'm sure you've more than earned it at this point to be honest.
We also got very lucky with the flooding situation. For months, we fought the rental company who was threatening to sue us if we didn't pay break lease to get out of the mold-infested situation we were in. It also didn't help that the flooring had asbestos adherent and that there was no way to close off the basement so my cats were able to get down there and were in it regularly. There was literally nothing I could do. We hired our attorney to brace for a long fight.
And then our rental company sold our property to someone else who felt awful for our situation and gave us a full deposit refund.
I literally cried.
So yeah, we've been very lucky the past year and a half. I'm super grateful. <3
As for that that would have been some of the worst times ever, I can't even think of it. I'm just glad it turned out better in the end. ;-;
It's good to hear that you were able to have something like that happen.
I'm sure it woulda meant that it would have seen like the silver lining you been waiting for. ;v;
It's good to hear the luck goin' up and up~!