A Contract and Two Hurdles

     The past week has seemed unreal to me.  There were 10 showings for my house - 10 times that CoCo and I had to leave and find someplace to hang out for an hour or so.  The For Sale sign went up Friday afternoon.  The listing didn't get posted on the internet until Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon I had a contract offer for the full asking price!
     The young couple who want the house have a conventional loan with cash that they will bring to closing.  They have been looking in this area since they moved here about a year ago and were thrilled to see my house on the market and evidently fell in love with it - which is what I was hoping for.  If all goes as planned the closing date will be July 11.
     But sometime this week the first hurdle appears - the Inspection - which I am dreading!  As you all know, I have a 90 year old house and have no idea what they might find as they search for things that need to be done.  My only hope is that a conventional loan is not as strict as a VA or FHA, and the couple really wants my house.  So I'm hoping that whatever may be found will not be a deal breaker.  And as many people have assured me, "everything is negotiable", right?
     I don't know yet which day this week will be THE day, but would appreciate all the positive thoughts you can throw my way and I'll be sure to let you know in next week's blog.
    I hate hurdles, by the way.  When I was in junior high I saw a girl break her arm doing hurdles at a track meet and I have avoided them ever since!  I see hurdles as being something over which I have no control and that makes me really nervous.  I want to be in control!  My stomach is doing flip flops so I need to find things to occupy my mind - like reading constantly! ha!
     My second hurdle, which is coming up quickly, is my appointment at the French Consulate in LA on June 7th to apply for my long term visa.  I am getting all the paperwork together and putting it all in a folder.  It's amazing what all is needed.  And having all the necessary paperwork does NOT guarantee approval for the visa.  So, here again, I'm feeling a lack of control.  And it can take up to 4 weeks before I find out if I have been approved.  Although I have no idea why France wouldn't want me!
     I feel like once these 2 hurdles are over, I will find my path to be much smoother and I'll be less anxious.  Keep your fingers crossed that I don't take up drinking! ha!
     I have lots of things to look forward to this summer. Next Saturday Andy and I are doing the Royal Gorge Zip Line Tour.  It's a series of 9 zip lines that go back and forth across the gorge with short hikes in between them.  We are really excited about doing this as neither of us has been zip lining before.  And we haven't been to the Gorge in many many years and are looking forward to seeing what they've done to rebuild since the wildfire that destroyed most of the buildings there a few years ago.

The Royal Gorge and Bridge

Part of the Zip Line Adventure

     In a sense, the gorge is a physical and tangible "hurdle".  What do you do when you come to that hurdle?  You can go around it sometimes, but the fastest way is just to go over it.  And we'll do that 9 times!  Maybe after that experience the inspection will be a snap.  (I keep telling myself that!)
     Cindy and Aunt Mary Ann are coming back to the cabin next month and Cindy and I have some fun things planned.  I'm sure the summer will speed by as I get closer and closer to leaving for France on August 29.  I'm planning to have a "Moving to France" party sometime towards the end of August.  I'll be sure to let you know as I'd love to see as many friends and family as possible before I follow that path East.
     Next week I'll tell you all about the zip line adventure and the dreaded inspection so stay tuned!  I am so appreciative of all the words of encouragement which have come my way over the past year and a half as I have worked on my house and gone up and over and around those bends to get to this point.  It doesn't seem real yet that my house is sold.  Not sure at what point that will sink in!  But thank you all for being there with me every step of the way.
     Until next week (and that next bend) Au Revoir and Merci!

A For Sale Sign and a Few Tears

     There's a For Sale sign in front of my house as of Friday.  It seems a little unreal which may sound strange to you since that's what I've been doing all this house work/projects for.  But seeing it actually out there is strange.  This is the only house I've ever owned and pretty much my entire adult life has been spent in this house.  Oh, don't get me wrong - I have no regrets and I am so excited about the new adventure which is "just around the bend" at this point.  But, it's only natural to look back on the life that has taken place in this house and do a little reminiscing, right?

The front of my lovely house

The back patio

I love my flower bed and pond

     It feels really good to know that I'm finally to this place.  I just hope I will find the right family who will love this house as much as I do and have for the past 41 years.  I wrote up a little article about the house and some of my favorite memories and made copies for the prospective buyers to read.  A book that I read about selling houses mentioned this idea and said it's a good way to have your house stand out from others that people might be viewing. 
     As I was writing it I must admit to a few tears.  Happy tears as I remembered some wonderful times of Andy growing up here and how much I have loved being in this house.  So that's where the tears came in.  I'm sure I will shed a few more over the next few months as it all becomes even more real and I will turn over the skeleton key to the front door to the new owners.  Yes, it still has a skeleton key lock!
     I mentioned in the house hand-out that I have a 27 year old hot tub and a 27 year old frog.  The hot tub will stay with the house, but not the frog!  Pretty soon Whiskers will be going to her new home with Jamie.  I cleaned her tank yesterday and so last night she "sang" to me.  I love that sound!
     I did manage to finally make it to the zoo this past week.  I was so tired of spreading bags of mulch and cleaning and weeding and so many other "little" things that had to be done to get the house ready to sell.  So one sunny morning I decided to go see "my babies".  I hadn't been there for 3 weeks and I was having withdrawal symptoms!  The lion cubs will be a year old next month.  That's so hard to believe!  They are still so beautiful, but not little any more.  They won't be full grown for another year at least so you can still tell they're the babies.  It's so fun to see the entire pride hanging out and interacting with each other.

The cubs hiding in the tall grass

Daddy Abuto and son Aslan on the highest rock

The beautiful Elsa

     We have a new silverback gorilla.  We lost our former silverback last fall when he died suddenly of an intestinal infection.  This new handsome guy, Goma, is still getting used to his new surroundings.  He came to us from the zoo in Buffalo, NY where he was with his brother.  This will be such a different home for him as he is slowly introduced to our 5 females and the toddler male.  I hope they will all get along.  I told the "girls" that they better be nice to Goma!

Poor Goma was so bored that day

     The next few weeks will have me busy getting all the paperwork together that I need to present to the French Consulate in LA on June 7.  There are 2 pages of the list of documents that I need to have!  And I have to have it all with me and exactly as they want or they can refuse my visa!  So, that makes me just a tad anxious . . .
     Andy came over for lunch today and we had some of his birthday cake.  He was in Morrison all last week working on a trail (that's NW of Denver) so he wasn't around for his birthday on Thursday.  When he walked in he said, "wow, the house looks empty!"   But he meant it in a good way.  There is no clutter in my house at the present and I shall attempt to keep it that way.  There was a showing yesterday and one this afternoon.  And hopefully more this week with perhaps some offers!  That would be awesome!
     Everything is coming together.  The journey is on track and I feel good about how things are going.  So many of you have offered such wonderful words of encouragement and praise for all the hard work that has gone on this past year and that has been so helpful!  Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my blog and for joining me on this journey that has me almost at France's door.  And then I hope you will stay with me as I tell you all about my life in the SW corner of what was once ancient Gascony and part of the ancient kingdom of Catalonia. 
     Merci!!

Planting and Weeding and Mulch - Oh My!

     I am so tired that I almost put off writing this until tomorrow, but I'm really trying to get back into the habit of writing on Sundays, so here I am.
     This past week has been so crazy trying to get all the things on my newest list of "to dos" crossed off.  My realtor is coming tomorrow to finalize the listing and is planning to take photos and I've been working ever so hard to get the house ready for that.
     However . . . I still have a few things to do and just sent her an email to ask if she could maybe come later in the week so I can get everything accomplished.  I know she's anxious to get it on the market (as am I), but I want the house and yard to look perfect, and it's not there quite yet.
     How is it that grass and weeds grow so well where you don't want them?  I have been pulling up lots of "undesirables" in the dog run, on the sides of the house and in the front.  All of these areas were mulched at one time so the grass and weeds have grown on top of that.  Actually, it wasn't that hard to pull it all out, but it certainly was time consuming and OH my poor aching back!
     I have planted a lot of lovely flowers and herbs in and around my patio.  It looks very beautiful out there.  The perfect place for a morning cup of tea or and afternoon glass of ice tea or wine.  I love my back yard!
     I now have all the wood floors refinished, every wall inside the house has been painted, every baseboard has been repainted or restained.  All the rooms have been staged (thanks to Beth!), but I still have some clutter to take care of and need to finish cleaning out my closet and linen closet.  The carpet still needs professional cleaning, but that can wait, I think.
     I have made numerous trips to my storage unit and to Goodwill.  So thankful for both of those!  I have one large suitcase completely packed with winter clothes, boots, shoes, coats and some books on SW France that I know will come in handy while I'm there.  I took that suitcase to the storage unit with my car load today.  It can stay there until the end of August.  At least it's out of the way for now.  My other large suitcase that I will be taking is under my bed!  I find that "under the bed" is pretty handy :-)
     Andy came over today and helped with the front yard.  We finished pulling all the grass and weeds and he spread quite a lot of mulch, but I'm going to need a lot more!  So another trip to Lowe's sometime this week.  Another reason why I'm not ready for Joan to come tomorrow.
     And speaking of Andy, I want to tell you what he's been working on.  The landscape company that he works for is "trail approved" meaning that he and a couple of other guys who have been trained on how to repair and even build trails can now go out on jobs to do just that.  So this past week he has been outside of Denver in a large and exclusive housing development putting in biking trails.  This will take another three weeks.  So he's gone during the week and home on weekends.  He is loving it!  I'm so happy for him that he finally found a way to make money doing something he enjoys.  The company has been really good to him.  Because he has been really good for them.
     Mom's birthday was yesterday and Andy's is Thursday.  May is a special month for us.  So for Andy's birthday I bought him a ticket for the Royal Gorge Zip Line Tour (I bought myself one, too!)  They have a series of nine zip lines going back and forth across the gorge.  You do a little hiking to get to each of them and end up about a mile from where you began.  We're going to try to do this the first Saturday in June!  Yippee!! 
     OK, I'm getting more tired as I write this.  I need to find a photo or two to put in here.  I'm hoping to make it to the zoo sometime this week.  I'll work it in somehow!  I want to meet our new silverback gorilla!  We lost our former one, Rafiki, last September to an intestinal disease.  I hope the girls (there are 5 of them) will be nice to Goma.  He looks quite handsome to me!  And, of course, I have to see the precious lion cubs who are almost a year old.  So next week I should have news about the house and photos from the zoo.  Stay tuned . . .
     I'll be so glad once the house gets listed because that will mean all my work is done!  Keep your fingers crossed for me to get everything done in the next few days so it can be listed by Thursday. 
     Here are a few photos of my little corner of France.  I've shared them many times, but I never tire of seeing them.  Thank you for joining me on this journey.  That next bend is almost here!

My patio at my cottage

A view of the front of the double unit

Mine is on the left

Appointment and Adventure

     I have an appointment at the French Consulate in LA on Tuesday, June 7, at 10am.  Miraculously, or so it seemed to me, there were 2 days in June which finally showed up on their website calendar a couple of days after I sent emails to both the Consulate and their webmaster.  I checked on other consulate sites (LA is the one for the SW States) and their calendars showed easy access to numerous days and appointment times.  I then thought that perhaps the LA's website was not working as it was supposed to, so I'm not sure who to blame - or thank - for getting the calendar working.
     But . . . I now have an appointment to apply for my long term stay visa.  Yay!!!  I'm am so relieved by that fact.  I immediately checked airfare and found a great deal through Southwest Airlines - round trip Denver to Burbank - for $220.  I hate driving to and flying out of Denver, but SW offers non-stop to Burbank and that's so much easier for Jane to pick me up.  She has so graciously offered her guest room to me for those 2 nights and will drive me to my appointment and then to Universal Studios!  So, I'm a happy camper!  Now, I just need to make sure all my paperwork is in order so that they can process my application without any problems.
     As I was cleaning out drawers and going through papers from the past, I came across a journal I had in which I had written down quotes from travel memoirs that I had been reading in 2008.  I thought I would like to share them with you as they seem quite apropos at this moment in my life.

          "I am moving the rudder, shifting the course of my existence . . . And there is nothing
     more sacred in life than that.  Choosing a direction, but how often do we miss the sign-
    posts?"            
                   Carol Drinkwater

          "I am taking it as it comes, making it up as I go along.  Pushing the boundaries of
     identity, hopefully to enrich, deepen, cultivate the spirit."
                   Carol Drinkwater

     I also came across a journal I kept on my first solo trip to Paris in April of 2001.  I had been numerous times to this beautiful and amazing city, but always with groups of students/friends.  But the trip in 2001 was just me for five fabulous days of exploring Paris on my own with a metro pass and a museum pass.  I was teaching mornings and doing my counseling internship at Pikes Peak Hospice afternoons.  I needed a break.  I had been randomly looking at travel websites and their "deals" and when I found this one - five days and four nights in Paris - for $500 (yes, you read that right!) I didn't even blink twice before I snatched it up.
     Then I went to my principal the next day and told him I was headed to Paris in 2 weeks.  Fortunately, he completely understood my need to escape from all the craziness which was my life at that time and was very supportive.  So, off I went.  Here's an excerpt from what I wrote on the flight over.

           "I'm really doing this.  I'm actually going to Paris - by myself - on the spur of the
     moment.  I've been thinking about it since Christmas, knowing I wouldn't have a Spring
     break or a summer vacation.
          "It's been a busy past three years.  I started my Masters in counseling, moved to another
     school, started my internship at Hospice.  It has all been wonderful, but I'm ready for a
     break. 
          "Where does my spirit of adventure come from?  I'm sure one of my ancestors must have
     been an explorer or seafarer or just someone who wanted to know what was on the other side
     of the mountain."

     Or what's around the next bend? :-)   Thank you, Daddy, for sharing your sense of adventure with me.  Andy and I spent the day in the Garden of the Gods - at the Trading Post and the Visitors' Center.  As we looked at the rocks and all the books on rocks, we thought of you.  I remembered laying all the rocks out on our camp trailer's table and comparing them to the pictures in our rock books.  Oh, what fun!
     And then, of course, my sweet Momma has been on my mind.  I think of her often, but more so on Mother's Day.  So, I shall add a couple of photos of the three of us.  Happy memories from a girl who had the best parents in the world!

     Before I go, let me thank all of you who sent up prayers and positive energy on my behalf so I could get that appointment in LA.  Such a relief!  Now, to get the house on the market and sold.
     Thank you for all your support and encouragement over the past year.  It means so much to me that many of you are following my blog and joining me on my journey!  Merci!!

A Leap of Faith - or Putting the Cart Before the Horse

     The idealist in me chooses the first expression and the pragmatist chooses the second.  In the past few days I have made all the arrangements and reservations I need to travel to France the end of August, but I still haven't been able to get an appointment in LA with the French Consulate for my long term visa and my house isn't on the market yet!
     I am so frustrated with the consulate's website in my multiple attempts to set up the appointment.  You can only see one month at a time so it's impossible to plan ahead.  And this morning when I went online to see May's appointment times, I got a message that said they are "at capacity" and to try again later!  What?!  How is it possible that that many people could have gone on the website before I did and filled all the appointment times for the entire month?  I sent an email to them to ask if there is a problem with the website.  They don't take phone calls so my only recourse is to email and keep my fingers crossed!  How annoying . . . .
     My realtor is coming over Wednesday morning to work on the listing with me and fill out all the paperwork.  I still have some things to get done before I'm ready for the house to go on the market.  Hopefully it will all fall in place by the end of next week.  The dumpster was delivered on Wednesday, but then we had snow and rain and freezing weather so I didn't get anything done with the yard.

Daffodils in the snow

A confused dove

     But when I got home from church this morning I saw that my sweet son had cleaned up a lot of the yard for me.  He chopped up the branches that had fallen into the dog run and cleaned out around the shed.  He got a lot of it done!  I just love that guy!  Once I get the rest of the yard cleaned up he will help me put out more mulch in the front.  I need to plant some flowers, but that's still iffy here in Colorado.
     Beth is coming over tomorrow to help me take some boxes and things to the storage unit and then we can start staging the house.  So, the house will be on the market soon and hopefully will sell in the next couple of months.
     Because I'm leaving for France on Monday, August 29th!  I made all the reservations a few days ago.  I decided to break up the 3 flights (from here to Toulouse) with overnight stays in Houston and Frankfurt.  I was able to use my miles so it only cost me $55 along with $125 for CoCo.  I made hotel reservations in Houston and in Frankfort - both are near the airports with shuttle service to and from. 
     I have signed the papers to lease a car for 2 months in France and I will pick up the little Peugeot at the Toulouse airport.  I will have a couple of days in and around Toulouse before I can actually get into my cottage on Sept 3, so I have reserved a hotel near Toulouse (as we get in about 7pm) and then a hotel in a town not far from the cottage. 
     So, all the arrangements are made, I just need permission from France to actually live in their country!  Is this a leap of faith or the cart before the horse?  I choose to call it a leap of faith as that sounds a lot more positive, don't you think?  I had no idea it would be so difficult to arrange for an appointment at the consulate.  And I have to go to the one in LA as that is the office that arranges visas for Colorado residents.  I checked out the other consulate websites and they have appointment availabilities, but not at LA.  Wish me luck!!!
     On a happy note, this is Andy's birthday month, and also my mom's.  They are May babies.  And so I leave you with a favorite photo and wish you a happy week.

My favorite May babies

 Thank you for your encouragement and for reading my blog.  Merci!