The Decision and Elusive Things

I finally did it. I called our property management company and acted like "that lady." You know the one, the one that calls and complains about stupid stuff and sounds like a whiny bitch? I've never before, in my life, called and complained to a housing office, property management office or the like about anything. This week, I made it my mission to see that trampoline go up in smoke. I thought surely, since the rule book says they can't have it, I would win. I wish there was a way for you guys to understand just how crazy these people are so I don't sound like a lunatic.

End result? They got a special letter allowing them to keep the trampoline! Seriously! Oh, and a little talking to about how noisy they are and about how to be good neighbors. Basically, this means that since the four other houses on the block are also enlisted army and they are all block party friends every night with bonfires and other crazy noise problems, gee, I wonder who the complainer was? Yeah, I want to live here still.

This little posse they've set up here is so outrageous that they have decided to skirt all rules. Two families have brought in pit bulls and are hiding them out, pretending that they each don't own them and lying to the housing office about which family has them when they get caught so they don't have to give them up. It's like a gang, I swear. And now they have attack dogs.

So, decision time. Give me a new house. Thankfully, they offered me every house they had available and didn't play bait and switch as they are known to do. Amazingly, they thought that the house two doors down from me would be a good fit. Ummm, no. "Mrs. McClain, I know you don't like living on the right of the trampoline, but how about the left?"

So, we are moving. Mother's Day weekend. Booo. We have to pack and move ourselves with no government assistance. Booo. We have to reprime our old house. Boooo. I want to paint our new house, so lots of work there and they'll only give us the key one day early. Booo. I whined about this and said they could at least, despite all the crap of this situation, in which we have to move, at our inconvenience because they can't handle a resident, give us they key during the days so we could work, and they said no. Booo. We have to move over the week my final paper is due. Booo. We are moving to a house with no backyard. Booo. P.S. Collin went with me to check out all the houses. Is it weird that a 3 year old helped me make the decision of where we should live since my husband can't come home from work? Ever. Naaah. Every other military wife gets it.

They did offer us a rent reduction to stay in our old place and we found this shocking when they said "oh we've done this with lots of your neighbors, no big deal." Bryon said, "you mean to tell me that most of my neighbors are paying less for the same house that I'm living in. Oh, that seems fair. Are there any rules you guys stand by around here?" Note to anyone about to live in a Tierra Vista Community (I think Shriever is one, remember that. Their rules are very wishy washy. Push them around).

And now this: we are moving to a bigger house! Hooray! We are moving to a house facing the ocean and both front bedrooms have a view! Hooray! We are moving to a remodeled house! Hooray! We are moving to a house two blocks away from the army gang! Hooray! We are moving to a block of all officers which I never thought I'd be snobby enough to feel was a plus, but Hooray! It has a torture chamber/closet! Hooray! I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a closet, but it's HUGE! Mommy has plans for this "closet." Excellent plans.

And, in other news, we got an elusive spotting this weekend. We are a family! I swear it. While it doesn't happen often, we do spend time as a unit and it does occasionally happen that we are photographed together! We went to the natural history museum and I don't think I've seen Collin that happy, ever. Can't wait to go back.

Hugs! Send some help and hugs to us! We need them over the next few weeks. We'll be crazy here!