We're moving to CO Springs!

[Melissa]

:wavey: Kara thought I needed a moving thread so here goes!

Reed is retiring from the military as of January 31st. The great thing about that is, he has a ton of vacation time saved up. So, including all of his vacation time and the house hunting time that the Army will give him, as of October 25, he won't need to go to work anymore. :woo: He will receive a full pay check from Oct. 25 all the way until his retirement date.

Katie is going into kindergarten in the fall and I'm so ready to go back to work. So I've applied at several jobs in the Colorado Springs area and some that are more to the north in the Denver area. At first I thought that I wouldn't mind a job along I-25 so that we could access CO Springs easily, but as time passed I realized where I really want to be.

http://www.themarketingshop.com/images/pikes-peak-colorado-springs.jpg

[Melissa]

So what I have done to find a job in Colorado?

In late March I flew out for two teacher fairs. One was the Greater Denver Teacher Fair, there were a number of Colorado school district represented and a few out of state districts (Texas, Alaska, California). There I had five interviews. District 11 in Colorado Springs, a private school in CO Springs, Jefferson County schools to the West of Denver, Brighton to the east of Denver, and Douglas County to the south of Denver.

Each went very well. I created a portfolio CD using powerpoint that had my transcripts from undergrad and graduate work, my resume, cover letter, and examples of my work. I enclosed the CD in a royal blue folder with my cover letter and resume. On the outside of the folder it had my name and that I was certified pre-K through 12 Music in Connecticut.

Every school that I showed the folder to was impressed with it. They liked that it was organized. What I really liked was that it stuck out because of the royal blue color.

After being asked a billion questions, I treated myself to a drink and a burger at the Hard Rock Cafe in Lower Denver (LoDo). After that I had to walk around because the margarita was a bit strong. :lol:

[Melissa]

The next two days I was in Greeley, Colorado. This is an area about 45 minutes to an hour north of Denver. It is a nice smallish town. When I woke up the morning of the first day of the Greeley fair, I heard cars going through what I thought was rain. I looked outside and it was snowing. The previous day it was nearly 70 in Denver!

So I got to the teacher fair at 7:30a.m. and waited in a huge line in the gym for the fair to begin. The first people there must have gotten there by at least 6:30 or so! During the first hours you set up interview appointment times and the rest of the fair consists of interviews. I was able to set up 9 interviews over the two days.

I interviewed with:
Weld county
Adams County- Commerce City
Falcon 49
Adams 50
Otis- this one lasted 5 minutes, when I found out how out there it was
Peyton
Fountain-Fort Carson
Aurora
and one other that I just can't remember

By the end of the two days my brain was complete mush. I drove the 3 hours to MIL's in Colorado Springs, through another snow storm in Palmer Lake/Monument area and told MIL when I walked in that I needed a stiff drink, STAT. :lol: I didn't say another word for about an hour, I just vegged.

The rest of the week I was there MIL, Katie, and I went to a few open houses and met an awesome realtor. That realtor took me around to see 12 houses that she set up appointments for. She is a real pip. We still contact each other about certain houses that come onto the market.

[Melissa]

So far I've done five phone interviews and two in person interviews after the teacher fairs. I've been offered two jobs already but turned both down. Yes, you may think I'm crazy, but I have my reasons.

First I interviewed for a middle school band position in Commerce City right outside of Denver. This is not a great school district, it is considered title 1 which means that it doesn't perform very well academically. I went through two rounds of phone interviews before they chose someone else.

I then interviewed for a job in Keenesburg. This was a junior high (7/8) chorus, band, world percussion job. The principal called me and said I was their "leading candidate." He asked me to fly out to CO to "see what I was getting into." (This should have been my first clue!) I created this thread (http://www.onceuponalife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39401) about the situation. I drove out to Keenesburg and found out just how far out there it was. There was a road going north-south, a road going east-went and not much else. I just couldn't imagine myself living there. Reed would have a hard time finding a job and we certainly wouldn't be able to get to CO Springs often to use his retirement benefits. So I turned that job down.

While I was out in Colorado, I was interviewed by the Falcon 49 school district for a middle school band position. I thought I was a shoe-in for this job. Truly. I researched the school, I answered questions that I thought would have gotten me the job. Plus, this was the job that I thought I would be perfect for! The team of 6 deliberated for three hours (oh to be a fly on that wall!) and decided on someone else. :gaaa: I am still reeling a bit from that disappointment. I truly would have been perfect for the position. :sigh:

What killed me was that I had found the perfect house for us. It was steps from a local elementary school and park, had perfect views of Pikes Peak and was 1.5 miles from the middle school. :cry:

Since then, I had an interview again with Commerce City, but the high school this time. I survived two rounds of questions and was offered the job. This caused a huge amount of angst in the house. This district pays really well and it would have been a good job for me. I would have taught 9-12 band and guitar class. Plus, they were moving to a new school the next year and I could have set up the program. I agonized over this decision.

The principal called me two or three times to do status checks about the position and we spoke at length about my decision process. What truly hung me up was the first three months I'm going to be out in Colorado, Reed will still be in Virginia. That means that any job I get that requires me to be in before Katie's school day starts or ends, I would need before and after school care. With a high school position, that comes with a lot of after school hours. This is the biggest reasons that I don't want a high school position (but I can deal with it for a year or two with help).

I would need to immediately get an apartment or a house because even though there is family around Commerce City, I'm sure they wouldn't want visitors for that long. Plus, if I needed a babysitter, it would be an hour drive for me since MIL refuses to drive at night and into Denver. :sigh: It would have just been too hard. It is going to be hard enough to move, settle, get Katie settled, etc... without help. This would have made the move significantly harder. Plus, it is still over an hour to CO Springs which makes using the retirement befits of the health care, commissary, PX, etc... harder.

[Melissa]

Since then, I've interviewed for a high school band position in District 11 (in CO Springs). I was one of three candidates they deliberated on, I even told the principal that I was hearing that a lot lately. Two nights ago, I had an interview for an elementary position in Academy 20 (another Colorado Springs district).

The elementary position is at an awesome school. Colorado rates their schools as being: excellent, high, good, fair, and poor. Then they qualify the status of the school as improving, stable, or declining. This school not only gets an excellent rating, but is also qualified as improving. :jawdrop: This is one of the three best districts in the state of Colorado. Three of their high schools were in the list of 1000 best high schools in the U.S.A.

There are more jobs opening up everyday. I have my application in on at least 5 elementary jobs right now. Plus, I've decided that if I don't get a full-time job, I'm OK with substituting for a year to get my foot in the door. Since we decided on Colorado Springs, we're going to live with MIL until we buy a house. Of course we'll pay her some rent, I already told her at least $500 a month, we'll be able to sock away some money.

[Mary DK]

Oh Melissa, I'll have to come back to read all of your post but I just wanted to say that I would move to Colorado Springs in a heartbeat!! :nod:

[sunnyflower]

THis is so exciting to read! I had thought about being a music teacher, but the flute professor was crazy so I decided against it. I'll check in for updates.

[Melissa]

Hello Mary and Kerrie!

We're very excited about moving to CO Springs. We certainly have wonderful friends here that we will miss terribly, but I'm just ready to set some roots down. CO Springs offers so much in with great schools, areas with a small town feel, but it is still close to everything. And who can beat the mountains! I already told my realtor that I won't buy anything that doesn't have a mountain view! :lol:

[Kara]

LOL Melissa!
I'm just nosy!!

I think this is so exciting!!
Do you have other family theres?
Did DH grow up there?
How did you decide on CO?

[Melissa]

Do you have other family there? I don't, but DH's mom, aunt and her husband. He also has another aunt, uncle, and their five children nearby.

Did DH grow up there? He spent his summers there. His mom would take the kids by train to CO to stay with her family there.

How did you decide on CO? It is gorgeous! Plus, Reed gets plenty of retirement benefits that we can use there. We can shop at the commissary (grocery store), PX, use their health care facilities, pharmacy (free drugs), and their gym, etc... The commissary sells groceries much cheaper than regular stores. For example, I got a pound of Land O'Lakes butter for $2.19, in CT it sells for $3.99. Not all items are that cheap but there is a difference in prices, especially with meat. They even beat Costco!

The home prices are terrific and getting lower every day. The schools are excellent. Oh and did I mention that there is no humidity out there? A day with 50% humidity is out of the ordinary. I thought of going back to Connecticut but Reed said, "I would rather gauge my own eyes out than live there again." Virginia is nice, but I really don't want to make a home here.

Every time I've visited Colorado, it has felt like home.

[Karin]

Wow, Melissa, that's so exciting!! I know you were disappointed about the one position, but it sounds like you have many more great opportunities coming your way! :up: I'm embarassed to admit I've never been to CO, but I hear it's beautiful!! How exciting!!

[Denden]

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS and good luck!!! Everything sounds so exciting!

[Lyoshka]

Congrats on the move, Melissa!! how awesome!!

[Melissa]

Hello Lena, Karin, and Denden. BTW, DH is from Pittsburgh originally and his brother still lives there.

Do you have other family there? I don't, but DH's mom, aunt and her husband. He also has another aunt, uncle, and their five children nearby.

I wanted to qualify this statement. DH's aunt and uncle with the five children. Well, the five children are all Reed's age and older with their own children (and some grandkids). When I visited Colorado the first time, it was for Christmas. I swear, it was like the scene in Big Fat Greek Wedding when they all meet the fiance the first time. So there is a A LOT of family out there.

Not much to update. I've been scouring the housing market via online search engines. I've been using remax.com and realtor.com mostly to try to find the perfect house. Unfortunately, I've found LOADS of perfect homes. :lol: I'll just have to see them in person when we get out there. I don't want to put a contract on a house until I have a job offer though.

My interview from the awesome school hasn't gotten back to me yet, I'll give them a call tomorrow if I don't hear from them. I have another interview on Thursday with another Academy 20 school district. It is another excellent rated school. This job sounds very interesting! They have a hand bell choir! I've never taught that but with my instrumental background, I think that will give me a jump on some of the competition. At least I hope.

Cross your fingers for me!

[Karin]

OOOH, things are shapin' up! Best of luck to you, Melissa! Let us know!!

[Dennis]

Oh and did I mention that there is no humidity out there? A day with 50% humidity is out of the ordinary.

Heck, when it hits 20% we all start complaining about how muggy it is :)

[Melissa]

Heck, when it hits 20% we all start complaining about how muggy it is :)
:lol: :nod: It is true! My MIL was visiting us when we lived in CT. I thought it was a great day, 80 degrees, 50% humidity, low dew points, she was sweating and saying how humid it is!


So I have a huge TO DO list before Katie and I head out:
1) get some boxes to arrange our things. We'll need to pack those items we're going to need for the next 4-8 months. We won't have our household items delivered until we have a house. The Army will store our stuff for a year if we need to. So we'll have three categories, things that I need to take with me in my car, things that need to come when Reed drives out in October, and the things that the Army will pack and ship for us. We *might* pack some clothes and then ship them parcel post if it isn't ridiculously expensive.

2) I have to do all of the moving things, like shut off the electric, water, paper, mail, satellite, etc... I'll also have to cancel my gym membership. I haven't even STARTED that yet, but that should be an afternoon of phone calls.

3) We have to paint two rooms. When we moved here, I asked the landlord if we were allowed to paint, especially since the three bedrooms had been patched and ready for paint, but not given a new coat. The landlord said, "Ok, just don't make it outlandish." Well I didn't get it in writing, so we have to change it back to white or off-white because the guy is afraid of color. :rolleyes:

4) All of our stuff needs to be sorted. I want to go through it to be sure we aren't moving crap that we don't need. This is a big one. We have all of the stuff from when Katie was a baby, do we keep all the baby stuff? Are we going to have another baby? :gah: I think we'll keep the baby stuff, but I also want to condense our stuff. We also have a leather recliner where the leather has cracked in several places. I'm not sure I even want to keep it because it looks bad. We've already recovered the seat, but with artificial leather which is hot, and the arms look bad. But it is such a comfortable chair.

5) We need to create a space in the garage where the landlord's items are contained and won't be mixed in with our things. I'll use sidewalk chalk to outline these items and write "Do not pack" on the border.

That's a lot, but I know we can do it. MIL will be here on July 3rd, she'll watch Katie while Reed and I do all of this. Plus, Reed is taking a week off so that will definitely help!

[Becca]

Sorry I'm a bit late off the starting block, but CONGRATS Melissa! :)
It sounds like a great move for you & the family. I hope you get a great job!

[Melissa]

Hello Becca!

:sigh: I'm getting tired of hearing, "You are an excellent candidate but....." I was rejected again today by the excellent elementary school that I interviewed with last week. The principal did say that she is going to recommend me to a friend of hers who is the principal at another elementary school. It will probably get me an interview there, but each principal makes their own hiring decisions.

The principal did say directly to me, "You should be working for our district." Well why didn't you give me the job? :gah: She did want to tell me of all the other openings available in the district and strongly encouraged me to send them my interest in their positions.

I had an excellent interview today in the same district that just rejected me and hopefully, this one will take me! They have a handbell choir, recorders, choir, etc... It is an International Baccalaureate school. This is the newest thing in curriculum design and attracts students from all over.

We'll see!

[Dennis]

I'm sorry Melissa. I'm sure something will come through for you.

[Girlo]

:mope: I've been looking forward to reading about your phenomenal new job offer in CO Springs......I suppose I just need to be patient.

Lots of hugs in the meantime... :hug99:

[Melissa]

Another job called to say that I wasn't their candidate. They had me so off kilter because she kept saying, "We really enjoyed talking to you and thought you were an excellent candidate." It sounded like she was going to offer me the job. :gah: She did mention two other jobs, but one already e-mailed me to tell me that they filled the position. The other one should post soon. This is getting frustrating.

[Dennis]

I'm sorry Melissa. I know how disappointing it is. Hang in there.

[Melissa]

I've had nothing but problems the past 5 days and I'm determined to turn my luck around. First, I didn't get the job from the elementary school, the air conditioner leaked in our attic, that seeped into the attic floor and into Katie's room. I was supposed to be a part of a research study yesterday, there was an overturned tractor trailer on I-95 and I was 10 minutes late. They couldn't admit me late, even though I called and said I was on my way. :gah: I just completely lost it walking back to the car, I just broke down and cried. I really needed it.

So I tried to get positive again and get my oil changed. I didn't know that Midas requires appointments :banghead: I mean seriously, I'm trying to have a positive attitude and I'm feeling like I'm just catching crap from all sides.

I'm in the middle of getting applications together for substitute teaching. The districts in CO Springs pay fairly well, certainly not as well as a full-time teacher, but it is something. Plus, if I don't get a full time job this year, it will get my foot in the door and if I want a day off, I can take one. :sigh: It isn't perfect, but I can deal (at least that is what I'm telling myself).

Oh! How could I forget:
I am now a licensed Colorado teacher!!!! :woo: My application finally went through!!!

[Dennis]

Congrats on getting your Colorado license! That's a good start to turning things around. Hang in there.

[Melissa]

Thanks Dennis. Today is going really well, knock on wood. I took Katie and a friend of hers to the free movies that Regal are showing. Bee movie. I'm glad I didn't have to pay money for it. It was cute enough, but not a great movie. Then I watched her 1 year old while the girls played outside so she could get some stuff done. They are trying to unpack all their stuff from their move before their relatives show up tomorrow. :lol:

The good thing is, I'm getting all of her empty boxes to pack my stuff up for our move. :giggle: So, when we got home, I packed up a downstairs bathroom, separated out the pantry, and in a bit I'll tackle some of the other cabinets.

[Melissa]

Packing packing packing! and MIL is here.

I got Katie's room done. :woo: I started with a number of piles: trash, donate, keep. I then creates multiple piles out of the keep: long term storage (clothes Katie grew out of and we'll keep if we have another kid), things that the Army can pack and ship, things that we will ship to MIL's house, and things that need to come into my car.

The good thing is that it only took about 1.5 hours to get Katie's room done and I was able to shove all the stuff the Army will pack into her closet, well except for the furniture. Tomorrow, is Reed's birthday, so hopefully he'll want to help out. I want to get our third bedroom done and there is a lot of his stuff in there.

[Melissa]

Yesterday we got Reed's bass/music room done. We purged a ton of stuff, organized the rest. Today, we got all of the things out of the attic, purged some more and packed it into the now clean third bedroom. Now, we're working on our bedroom.

[Melissa]

I had another interview on Thursday. They said they are going to move quickly with this, hopefully I'll hear something very soon! I move in a few days! EEK!

We have cleaned out the garage. It looks awesome! I took stuff to the dump and I have more to go there. We've sorted every room except Reed's hidey-hole. I'll let him deal with it. He knows I want him to get rid of all the junk and keep only those things that really matter to him.

Now we're on to painting. We painted Katie's room back to eggshell white, we just have to paint our bedroom and then we'll be basically done. The house is ready for the movers to come. They won't be here until Aug. 25 to pack and then Aug. 26 to put it on the truck. Reed moves into the barracks on Aug. 22nd. He's going to be in with all of the derelicts. These are people that have been kicked out of their apartments for one reason or another, or out of their homes because of domestic violence, etc... Hopefully, he'll have a single and not have to share with some person trying to get out of the Army for psych.

We have a busy week planned. I'm going to relax a bit tomorrow and we'll get our bedroom set for painting. I'm sure we'll have to use a second coat because the paint was so freaking thin, we had to do two coats in Katie's room. Monday we'll do the second coat, I'll have to get my car weighed. Tuesday, we're going to take the day off and go to Busch Gardens. Wednesday, I'm watching a friend's children for a few hours, but we have nothing else planned. Thursday is Katie's actual birthday. MIL wants to see Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, so we'll do that and then go out to dinner. Friday the band is having a hail and farewell, just a meet and greet for all the new people. Saturday is Katie's birthday party and our farewell party. Sunday is packing the car to get out. Monday, we drive to Memphis. :woo: :phew:

[Dennis]

I hope everything goes well next week.

[~Deborah~]

Oh my goodness...how did I miss this thread?????

:bolt: Off to catch up :)

[AmyJ]

Melissa,

Good luck on your job search in CO Springs. I taught in Douglas County before mvong to CA. My IL's live in the springs. I lived in Colorado for 10 years, I went to college in Denver.

Amy

[sunnyflower]

Good luck with your interviews. I will be thinking of you!

Do you use school spring? Our school uses it now for posting positions and I saw that almost every state has it. I was just wondering because since my district started using it, they don't post in the newspaper.

[Melissa]

Good luck with your interviews. I will be thinking of you!

Do you use school spring? Our school uses it now for posting positions and I saw that almost every state has it. I was just wondering because since my district started using it, they don't post in the newspaper.

Thanks! I've been checking each districts' individual site where they list the openings. I'll check school spring though! Maybe the charter schools will post on that.

I just got bad news today. I didn't get the job I interviewed for on Thursday. They just called me today. :sigh: I just saw an opening for a charter school, but they are on vacation right now. I have a feeling that they've filled the position.

[Dennis]

I'm sorry Melissa. I know how frustrating it is to keep getting turned down.

[Melissa]

I've got another interview in the hopper though! I just contacted a school today regarding an opening and the principal just got back to me, they want to interview by phone. :woo: Hopefully this is the one!

[Dennis]

Good luck!

[Melissa]

Thanks! This is a charter school, it is a "Classical Academy." I'm trying to find out more about it.

[pfisher]

Good luck, Melissa!

[Bev]

Good luck Melissa! You'll get something, I know it. :)

[Kara]

how did it go Melissa????!!!

so the countdown is for when you and katie move out there, then DH comes later?

[Melissa]

I got the job!!!!!

I am now gainfully employed with Rocky Mountain Classical Academy!!! :woo: :cheer: It is less than what I expected to be paid. With a public school I would have gotten around 40K a year, and they are going to pay me 33K which is OK, and they participate in PERA which is the retirement fund. I am just thrilled that I have a job. I start July 28th with training, eek! So 3 weeks of training and the school starts on Aug. 18.

I got the job!!!!!

[Karin]

Congratulations, Melissa! That's great news!!

[Michele]

:woo: Congratulations Melissa!!!!

[Dennis]

Congratulations - that's great!

[Silke]

:woo: Congratulations.

[Mary DK]

Congratulations Melissa!!! Woohoo!! :yippee:

[bunybomb]

Congrats Melissa! You are gainfully employed and almost a resident of the Centennial State. :woo: Welcome!

[Alysia]

Congratulations Melissa!

[sunnyflower]

Congratulations!!!!!! 3 weeks of training though-ugh! I am so happy for you!

[Melissa]

Thanks everyone! It is hitting me that I have a new job. This is going to be so different from my old one, but it should be a good different. I'll have to write lesson plans a bit more specifically, but that's fine.

So we're leaving July 21, hopefully getting to CO Springs on July 25th. My MIL thinks we should then drive up to Denver so she can see one of her grandkids (my age) and her nieces for dinner. Hello, I have TWO days before I start my job. I am not going to want to drive up to freakin Denver in those two days to visit people. Especially after driving 1600 miles to her house. :rolleyes: I have to get Katie enrolled into school, which I'm wondering if I'll have time for, get her ready for school, again, when will I have time for that. And she thinks I'll want to drive again. WTF are you thinking????

[Kara]

Congrats on getting the job!!!!!

I wouldn't want to drive more either!
I would want to get settled especially since you don't have that much time!

[Melissa]

Exactly! She thinks that we should all get together. I did say to her, "I'm not sure how much merry making I'll want to do after driving 1600 miles to your house."

[Girlo]

Melissa, that's some of the best news I've heard all day!!! :woot: :bliss: Congratulations on your new job!! I'm assuming you'll be the music/band teacher. :heee: Is it a high school? I suppose I could look all this stuff up for myself......

That's pretty funny about your MIL. Esp. since you're MOVING there and will have plenty of weekends/holidays to come to visit other relatives in the area. :lol: Is it kind-of weird that your MIL has a grandchild the same age as her DIL?

I hope you can find another cool house to buy soon......

Congrats again!! :hug99:

[Melissa]

Melissa, that's some of the best news I've heard all day!!! :woot: :bliss: Congratulations on your new job!! I'm assuming you'll be the music/band teacher. :heee: Is it a high school? I suppose I could look all this stuff up for myself......[quote]

It is elementary music, general music type of stuff. That's why I say it isn't my ideal position because I'd rather teach band at the middle school level. BUT, it gets my foot in the door.

[quote=Girlo]That's pretty funny about your MIL. Esp. since you're MOVING there and will have plenty of weekends/holidays to come to visit other relatives in the area. :lol: Is it kind-of weird that your MIL has a grandchild the same age as her DIL?

I hope you can find another cool house to buy soon......

Congrats again!! :hug99:

Her granddaughter is just coming for the weekend. She lives in Pittsburgh, so that's the big reason. But she has seen her about three or four times this year already.

Yes, it is weird! First, Reed has two older siblings, his sister is 9 years older than him, his brother is 7 years older than him. Reed is also 12 years older than me. So MIL has four grand children that are all about my age, one two years older than me, this one that is visiting is a few months younger, and a few just a year or two younger.

MIL also has several great-grandchildren. One that is turning 12! (Reed's oldest sister had a baby at 18, her child had this great-grandchild at 18). So, she has a grandchild that is younger than her great-grandchildren. :silly:

[marcy]

Congrats on the job! Good luck getting everything coordinated when you get there.

[Girlo]

Melissa, we have a (vaguely) similar situation - Alex is a year younger than his cousin. His cousin is Paul's nephew's child. :awink: So....my MIL has a great-grandchild who is older than her youngest grandchild. Paul (her third child) waited a long time to get married and start a family....much longer than any of his sibs.....hence the very young grandchild. :lol:

Have a safe drive to CO next week!!! :hug99:

[Melissa]

I might post this in a WWYD in the kids forum, but I'll put it out here. I'm trying to decide where I want Katie to go to school. I can put her in the school where I'll be teaching. It will be easy for me to bring her and such and not have to rely on MIL to bring her to school as there is no bus. Plus, she would follow the same schedule as me. OR, I can have her go to her neighborhood school, near MIL. It is brand new and a good one. Both schools require a semi uniform (khaki pants, polo shirts, etc....).

The bonus is, if she is in the same school as me, if we move to another school district when we actually buy our house within the year, she won't have to change schools. But if she is in the neighborhood school, she might have to change schools, or it could be a PITA to get her to and from school.

[Dennis]

I would have her go to your school.

[AmyJ]

Congratulations on the job, Melissa!

My kids have always gone to the same school as me, it really makes life easy.

[Melissa]

Dennis and Amy, that's what I'm thinking. But I'm not sure if she'll get in, right now the kindergarten class is full, the part-day K isn't, but full day is. However, the principal said, "you never know who will actually show up on the first day." :lol: The K class already has 16 students in it. I'm not sure what the size of the other school's K class is, yet.

[~Deborah~]

:bliss: Congratulations on the new job!!!:bliss:

[AmyJ]

Dennis and Amy, that's what I'm thinking. But I'm not sure if she'll get in, right now the kindergarten class is full, the part-day K isn't, but full day is. However, the principal said, "you never know who will actually show up on the first day." :lol: The K class already has 16 students in it. I'm not sure what the size of the other school's K class is, yet.

Could you enroll her in the 1/2 day class and wait list her for the full day? I teach K at a parent choice school and we often have a few not show up on the first day (the sometimes dual enroll at their top choices seeing where they will get in). I googled your school and it looks great! What part of the springs is it in? We love Colorado! All of DH's family is there.

[sunnyflower]

Have her go to your school. It will make things easier in the long run. I am looking forward to when Brenna comes to my school!

[Melissa]

We are halfway to Colorado. Today was the big long drive. We started at 4a.m. this morning from home and made pretty good time all the way to Memphis. It took us 15 hours to get here. The last hour felt like FOREVER! We're at my sister's house right now and we're enjoying good company, food and alcohol! I've already had three pretty potent drinks. :drink: I'm feeling pretty good. We're going to stay here until Wednesday morning.

[AmyJ]

Glad your trip has gone well so far! Safe drving for the rest of the trip.

[Melissa]

Amy, thank you!

Katie is just loving visiting my sister. I'm not sure if she remembered all of them because the last time we saw them was a little over two years ago. My nephews are entertaining her, running around the house with her and overall having fun. But at 8:30 last night she got up and said, "Mommy, where am I sleeping." I asked, "Are you ready to go to bed?" She said, "Yes!" :lol:

Even when we were in the car yesterday, she got overtired and just said, "I need a nap" and then fell asleep. I just :heart: her.

[sunnyflower]

Kids do know when they are tired. Glad to hear that your trip is going well!!!

[Melissa]

We are in Blackwell, Oklahoma. We were hoping to make it to Salina, Kansas but it didn't happen. I was a bit over ambitious in what we could actually drive in one day. According to mapquest, Salina should have been 10 hours, but that doesn't take into account stops and such. So we're in Blackwell.

The really crappy thing is, just outside of Memphis, a rock got kicked up and hit my windshield, hard. So I have a nice pit near the bottom of the windshield and a crack from that pit, to a pit that I had repaired a few years ago. Hopefully the crack won't get too much worse as I drive tomorrow. Dh did say, "Well, now you'll look like you belong in Colorado." :giggle:

We got to the hotel in Blackwell, decided to order dinner from a restaurant next door and on the way back to the room I saw a bunch of guys tailgating. I just went up to them and said, "I could really use a beer, I just drove out from Memphis, I'll pay you for one." They refused my money and handed one to me. My MIL who was up in the room at the time was surprised that I had the guts to just do that. :dude:

[Alysia]

:giggle: Woo for the free beer!

[~Deborah~]

:dude: You go girl!!

[sunnyflower]

Awesome! I don't blame you either-I would have asked for 2 if I drove that distance with my MIL!!! :lol:

[Dennis]

Yes, get used to the pits and cracks on your windshield. It's one of the costs of living in Colorado.

[Karin]

I would have asked for some beer, too!!! :lol: Glad your trip is going well so far!

[Melissa]

We are in Colorado!!!! 1950 miles later, a huge crack in my windshield and coming *this* close to yelling at MIL, I'm here. I'll post more later, I'm exhausted.

[~Deborah~]

:bliss:Glad you got there safely. Now go have a beer and go to bed for a well deserved rest!

[Dennis]

Welcome!

[AmyJ]

Hooray! And a few days to rest and off to training you go! :lol:

[AmyJ]

How did today go? Any word on getting Katie in?

[Melissa]

I'm getting settled in. I spent all of Friday morning unpacking and then we just ran around like crazy people. I needed to get things copied and mailed out. Go figure my Colorado teaching certificate shows up right after I leave. :rolleyes: Reed scanned it and then e-mailed it to me.

Saturday, MIL went to visit her SIL and grand-daughter. This is the trip I complained about before. It is a REALLY good thing we didn't go. They weren't going up to Denver, they went to Longmont, another 90 minutes north of Denver, give or take. So it would have been an hour drive to Castle Rock, hang out for a little while, then a two hour drive to Longmont just to have dinner with DH's niece. They didn't finish dinner until 9:30 then drove back to Castle Rock (two hours). That would have been a nightmare with Katie. I'm glad I didn't go. I still can't believe MIL expected us to go.

While MIL was gone on Saturday, Katie and I went to a few open houses. One I had been wanting to see for a long time. Well, what a disappointment. It was a gorgeous house, but it just wasn't suited for someone with a young child. There were two bedrooms upstairs, both small and the bathrooms were very small. The kitchen was great and the view was just awesome. But there was a spiral staircase that I would have had to pull my hair out to keep Katie from playing on. Plus they were very steep.
http://advantage.colorado.remax.com/listings/ListingDetail_r4.aspx?LID=40836773&#aTop

The downstairs was nice. A room with a hot tub, another with a great fireplace, and two bedrooms. But just not for us.

I'm going to look at two houses tomorrow.
http://advantage.colorado.remax.com/listings/ListingDetail_r4.aspx?LID=31818747&#

School went alright today. It was everything that I expected it to be. Them telling me about effective teaching practices and such. Everyone seemed very nice. I'm a little disappointed in the buildings and facilities. We'll see though.

[sunnyflower]

Glad that you are all settled in. I don't know if CO is like MA, but if your certificate hadn't come the school could probably call the department of ed and get a copy or at least a verification until yours came. I taught for almost 9 months while my professional certificate was "pending".

[marcy]

I'm glad you're there and that you and Katie are settling in. Good job not loosing it with MIL on the drive there - you're a saint :) Laughed about the beer - I don't think I'd have had the guts to do that but I'm sure that was a very tasty beer.

I hope you find a good house soon. It's out there.

[Melissa]

Glad that you are all settled in. I don't know if CO is like MA, but if your certificate hadn't come the school could probably call the department of ed and get a copy or at least a verification until yours came. I taught for almost 9 months while my professional certificate was "pending".
Since I'm teaching in a charter school, I don't technically need a teaching certificate, it is better if I do, but not absolutely necessary. The school district only needs a copy of it, it doesn't even need to be official. Plus, they can look for me online and find that I do have an active certificate.

Thank you Marcy!

So, I had to get clothes for Katie for school. The charter school demands that you use Land's End for their uniform. $180 later, I have 6 short sleeve shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, and 2 pairs of long pants. :rolleyes: I know they are doing me a favor by letting her in (which will make things very easy for me in the long run) but geez. At least allow me to buy stuff from the overstock page. :sigh: I'm going to wait until it gets colder before I buy her long sleeve shirts and sweaters. I haven't even gone supply shopping yet.

Today is day two. Hopefully we'll get into the meat and potatoes of this curriculum. The other music teacher wants to write a book with me. :lol:

[Dennis]

That's rough that you have to buy uniforms from Lands End. Our school (also a charter) has a recommended place but you can buy from anywhere as long as they are the right colors.

[sunnyflower]

That's tough about the uniform. What's the book going to be about?

[AmyJ]

That's tough on the uniform cost -- ouch! Hope your training is a little more interesting today! :) So, does your MIL live in Castle Rock? I love that city.

[Melissa]

MIL is in Colorado Springs, we're living with her right now. Her brother and SIL live in Castle Rock. She visits them often.

I was dealt two blows today. First, I didn't realize for full-time K you had to pay $290 a month. I didn't know that Colorado didn't pay schools for full-day K, only half day. The neighborhood school would have been free for Katie, but a PITA for us since we'd have to rely on MIL to bring Katie back and forth. So, we're just going to suck it up and pay the money for Katie to be in my school. It will just be worth the sanity I'll save.

Next, I sent all kinds of paperwork to my gym in Virginia to cancel my membership, but they won't accept DH's military orders to cancel MY membership. :rolleyes: I sent them his retirement orders, his moving orders, and a car insurance statement, unfortunately they all have his name on it, not mine and THAT is the problem. :gah: I hate people sometimes.

That's tough about the uniform. What's the book going to be about?
I'll PM you, I don't want anyone to steal the idea as this is a public forum. :awink:

[~Deborah~]

:hug99: I think Gym memberships are the worst things to cancel..You basically have give them your first born to get out of them :awink:.

A book you say....very interesting!!!

[Dennis]

The kindergarten tuition floored me as well. I remember when I registered Joe at our local school while we were waiting to see if he got into the charter school and they asked me if we were going to apply for financial aid. My jaw practically hit the floor. I can't believe we have to pay for full day K but what can you do. It's still cheaper than $750 for daycare :)

[Melissa]

It is also cheaper than paying for after-school care too.

[sunnyflower]

Totally understand re the book.

One school in our district is trying full day K and the parents have to pay. I am hoping that my town will do that come kindergarten.

[AmyJ]

WOW!! Is is because it's a charter school that you have to pay? When I taught full time K in Douglas County -- public, there was no fee. Now if you wanted your child to go to the before and after school programs or the intersession (we were year round) then there was an additional fee for that, but that was an entirely seperate program.

Sorry you have had so many financial blows today -- they suck!

[AmyJ]

Melissa,

I have a question. My DS is going into 7th grade and is going to be taking band as his elective (his choice :yippee: ). We are really excited and so is he, but now he has to choose an instument. He hasn't played any before, he took piano through his elem. school, so that's his only exposure.

Any suggestions? Is there a better one to start with than another? TIA!

Amy

[Melissa]

WOW!! Is is because it's a charter school that you have to pay? When I taught full time K in Douglas County -- public, there was no fee.
There are a lot of schools that have you pay for full-time K, but part-time is free. Colorado only reimburses schools for part-time K not full-time, that's why.

I have a question. My DS is going into 7th grade and is going to be taking band as his elective (his choice ). We are really excited and so is he, but now he has to choose an instument. He hasn't played any before, he took piano through his elem. school, so that's his only exposure.

Any suggestions? Is there a better one to start with than another?

What are his interests? Does he really want to play one instrument over another? Also, what does his face look like? Does he have an overbite (which help on certain instruments but not on others). I always encourage children to go for the lesser known instruments, like bassoon, trombone, french horn, oboe, etc... If they are half decent, they'll have a lot of opportunities to play. How tall his he? If he's tall, tuba might be a great choice. Good luck with the decision!

[AmyJ]

Awesome questions! He has a new instrument every day, so there is no favorite for sure. No overbite. And yes, he is tall. At 12 he is already 5 feet 4.5 inches and RAPIDLY growing! :lol: although he is skinny; 95 pounds.

Here is a current pic of him and my DD too :lol:

[Melissa]

What cuties!!! one more, will he need braces anytime soon?

[AmyJ]

He will need braces, but they are going to wait until around 14. He still has a few baby teeth and he won't need them for long b/c it's mostly a cosmetic thing (gaps and such) so they are waiting for nature to finish as much as possible.

Thanks for the kid compliments~

[marcy]

:wavey: What is the house news?

[Melissa]

ugh... we're still hunting. Thanks for asking! I'm afraid to sign something until Reed sees it. Although my agent called me last night and told me that if I don't buy the house she is going to show me on Friday, she's going to buy it!

[Melissa]

So Reed came out here (unfortunately AF was here too, dammit). :sigh: Well, he LOVED the house that I posted in the other thread about falling in love with your house. I've seen the house at least 6 times now and love it more every time I go in. We went right after we got 4.5" of rain which caused huge problems on many major roads with erosion. I made sure the basement was dry (it was), and there weren't any erosion problems around there house (there weren't). :yipee: The drainage system all around the house was very well thought out and designed extremely well. We're both very impressed with the quality of the home.

The house posted here: http://www.onceuponalife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40242 has pictures of the one that we just love.

So yesterday we put an offer in. Our realtor said that the other agent commented that there have been 4 other offers, but they all fell through because the other couples had to sell a house and it didn't sell. We don't have to sell a house so hopefully our first offer will be accepted, but I have a feeling we're going to have to go back and forth a bit before everyone is equally miserable. :lol:

[marcy]

Good luck w/ the house - I'd think if you're offer #5 that the seller would be just ready to sell and get it over with.

[Hannabanana]

Good Luck!!!

[Dennis]

Good luck!

[sunnyflower]

Good luck!!

[Melissa]

Good luck w/ the house - I'd think if you're offer #5 that the seller would be just ready to sell and get it over with.
I sure hope so!

Thanks everyone!

[Melissa]

Time to update!

He rejected our first offer and countered. He knocked 5K off the listing price and will pay us 5K towards closing costs. He has also done everything that we asked after inspection so far.

The great news is: WE GOT THE MORTGAGE! We had been having a hard time getting one due to the economy and that we are going for a VA (government backed) loan. AND we found out that since I was in the educational field in Connecticut, and now I'm back into the educational field, the 5 years I took off in between doesn't count "against me." They will see it as continuous employment.

Our rate is currently locked at 6%, that isn't bad considering it is a no down payment loan. Also during the market craziness last week, the gov't rates jumped to 7%, thank goodness we locked!

[Lynn]

:woo: Congratulations! I think the financing is just as nerve wracking as finding a house itself. How excited are you to have your OWN place again? :lol:

[Dennis]

That's great Melissa!

[Melissa]

How excited are you to have your OWN place again? :lol:
I am BEYOND excited. As much as I love MIL, I want my own pots/pans, rules back.

[Lynn]

And being able to walk around in your underwear is nice too. :lol2:

[Alysia]

And being able to walk around in your underwear is nice too. :lol2:

Amen! :lol:

Congrats Melissa!

[sunnyflower]

That's exciting news!!

[Girlo]

:woo: Congrats Melissa!!! :bliss:

[marcy]

:woo: Great news - how exciting that you'll be in your own home soon.

How far will this be from MIL and the school?

[Melissa]

We'll be 5 miles from MIL, and 4 from school. Plus, it is a very easy drive for all of it.

[Melissa]

We closed on the house!!!! We are officially home owners. So what did we do? We went to Lowes! :lol: Our realtor was really sweet and gave us a gift certificate for them, our mortgage broker gave us a gift certificate for Home Depot. We had our choice between that or a dinner at the Broadmoor. We chose the practical. :lol:

So, we bought a ceiling fan. We told the sellers that they could keep the light over the pool table:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/captain_hug99/new%20house/pooltable.jpg
if they replaced it with a ceiling fan that matches the existing ceiling fan.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/captain_hug99/new%20house/familyroom.jpg

They replaced it with an awesome ceiling fan, but the lights don't match. You can see the one in the picture has the three open lights, well the new one has a dome with the lights inside. I wanted them to match. :scan:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/captain_hug99/new%20house/ceilingfan.jpg

We also bought new lights to replace the two existing outside lights in the front. They are a bit "dinky" and don't come on with motion. Since we're a bit back from the road (you actually can't see the house from the road at all), I wanted something that would give us lights when we need them.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/captain_hug99/new%20house/lights.jpg

We got two of these, one large for the front door, and one smaller for above our house numbers near the garage.

[Hannabanana]

Congrats Melissa!!! How exciting!!

[Melissa]

:wavey: Hello Aimee.

We finished painting!!! :woo: We painted the master bedroom blue, it is a touch darker than I wanted, but I think we'll grow to like it. Katie's room is a beautiful light purple/pink. That room turned out perfectly. The downstairs, we changed it from a dark blue to a shimmery copper look. I'm not sure how it turned out, we just finished it around 6p.m. tonight. :crazy:

Now we just have to wait for our furniture!

[Dennis]

Congratulations!

[Melissa]

So we painted our master bedroom, the color came out a brighter blue than we originally wanted. So we wanted a new valance than what was up there. Reed called it "Munster House/ Funeral Parlor." :lol: We went to: JcPenny, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target, Walmart, KMart, and then looked on the web. Well, I went to Macy's today to see if they had anything.

I FOUND something! It is a "bedroom in a bag." When I saw it, I almost fainted at the price $400. :faint: I called Reed, told him that I had found something that I liked, told him the price and he practically hung up on me. :lol: So, I got a sales person and asked when it was going to go on sale again. I saw some sale signs in the plastic holder for the non-sale sign. The sale brings the price down to $200. Much better! Not great but better.

Anyway, the sales guy says, "It is going on sale on Tuesday, but I'll give you the price today." The sale price? $179, PLUS he gave me a 15% discount, that brought it down to $152. :woo: Here is the set:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/captain_hug99/new%20house/bedding.jpg

It will tone down the bright blue a little bit.

The bedroom in a bag comes with: 4 valances, 4 drapery panels, 4 tiebacks, comforter, sheet set, bed skirt, 2 pillow shams, 2 Euro pillow shams, and accent pillows.

[Hannabanana]

Isn't that just ridiculous that they have the initial price tag of $400 and you're able to get it for under $200!?

I do love the colours though ... I tried to convince dh to do blue walls because we have a brown sectional coming but he was all "brown & blue don't go together!!" oh yes they do :awink:

[Melissa]

Aimee, yes they do! I love the combination!

Back at home I thought to myself, "who would actually have paid full price?" I certainly would have kicked myself if I had and then saw the sale.

[Melissa]

:lynchmob: I am beyond angry! My stuff has been on a truck since November 12th. Why in the world isn't it here yet? It only takes 3 days to drive from Virginia to Colorado. So why is the Army taking TWELVE DAYS to get my stuff to me?

When we went to our counseling about our options for storage and moving, we were told that if we had our stuff brought to Colorado right away, we would only receive 90 days worth of storage. If we kept it in Virginia, we would get a year. We were NEVER told that we could extend the 90 day storage if we needed to. Lo and behold when we saw the paperwork from Colorado Springs moving it says you CAN extend beyond the 90 days if you need to. :lynchmob: :lynchmob:

I even said to the counselor that if we stored our stuff in Virginia that it would take three weeks to get it to Colorado. She said, "No it won't, it would take a week." Yeah right. We called for our stuff on November 4th. Hmmm 20 days since we called we'll get our stuff. That's THREE WEEKS! :gah:

FU ARMY, I want my stuff!

[marcy]

I'm sorry that the furniture isn't there yet. Yeah, the Army isn't the most efficient sometimes are they?

[Mary DK]

Goodness Melissa, I can't believe they're giving you such a run around about your furniture getting to you :rolleyes: I hope they get to you really soon. Have they giving you a date now? Or is it still a wait & see? I would be overly pissed off too! Hang in there girly!! :bighug:

[Melissa]

The driver called and said it would be Monday. But I want it NOW [/Veruca Salt]

[Mary DK]

I don't blame you at all for wanting it now. I'm crossing all my crossables that they do good & you have your furniture on Monday :crossfing :crossfing

[Melissa]

Thank you Mary. Its just that I haven't had my stuff since July 21. Man. That is just so long ago. I hope it is all in one piece.

[Dennis]

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this Melissa.

[Karin]

:crossfing that everything arrives safely on Monday, Melissa!

[Melissa]

:woo: We're in our OWN house. Of course everything is a complete disaster right now, but it is coming along. Most of the kitchen is put together. Our bed is together and we're looking for the parts to Katie's bed. I got the wi-fi going.

There are things that I'm ROYALLY ticked about. It looked like they used our dining table and rolled it places. It is completely chewed up all along the side. Reed's corner desk has seen its last days. There is a chip in one of our dining chairs (not that that matters considering the side of the table). Our kitchen island is chewed up along the corners. A lamp got broken. On our last move one of the legs of Reed's electric piano broke, this time, they broke the other one.

I don't even want to talk about how the movers packed the boxes. It was totally ridiculous. I had glasses break because they were packed with heavy stuff and not in dish barrels.

The good news is, we're here and out of MIL's. I realized I lived there for over 150 days. That is a LONG time! :sigh:

[Dennis]

Sorry about the damage, but I'm glad you're finally in!

[Melissa]

Thanks Dennis. It feels great being in my bed again and Katie out of my room (Katie and I shared a room the whole time). Also, I am looking out of my window and loving the beautiful city view that I can see but not hear from the house.

[Mary DK]

Shoot, that's too bad that they didn't take better care of your furniture :( Will they pay for the damage or will it be a loss for you?

On the happy side, you in your home with your own furniture and sleeping in your own bed... that's probably the best feeling ever!!!! :banana: I didn't realized you were with your MIL that long? :eek: You're a saint, girly! :nod: Don't get me wrong, I love my ILs but I would probably end up divorcing them (not my hubby) if I had to live with any of them for that long :errr:

[Melissa]

Yes, we will be reimbursed for any problems. The problem with the dining room is that the table and the chairs are serviceable, so I don't think I'll get full replacement value. :sigh: