That's what I get...

I got a new truck. a newer version of what I had. Black 1999 4runner 16-20 mpg. * awesome. Good thing I mostly just drive to and from work which is about a mile each way. As with all cars I've ever bought, I have a period of adjustment where I worry that I've made a mistake and that I've gotten a huge lemon of a car. This one was no exception. A week into owning said new car I was at peace with the broken power antenna and digital clock. The truck runs well and has a bunch more power than the '93 did. Plus, it has a scoop! it's decorative, but it's HOT. hehe.

So, I'm driving the truck to Madison for a dr's appointment. I brought a cd, because I wanted to try out the stereo. I brought Sarah Harmer - we were here, Kevin... Sounded great, I was happy, feeling good. Probably on a sugar high from the orange drink I had downed as part of my 1 hour glucose test. About 10-12 miles from home as I'm driving up a hill my CHECK ENGINE LIGHT comes on. Now... that was a short high... I called the dealer, and got a call back later from the sales guy. He said it had happened before, but now they would know before what the problem was. All I know if that he probably shouldn't have said that to me, because to me that constitutes a "Known issue" that wasn't on the buyers slip. This means to me that they are paying for this problem to be fixed. I also took the truck over to my mechanic to check the error code and they cleared it for me. Chris and I tested it by going for a drive to Verona to pick up a Radio Flyer tricycle for Iris that someone had up on Craigslist. On the way back, the light went back on.

I am getting big and starting to have hip pain and have trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep. I'm sure this will be my last pregnancy and I think I have mostly been too preoccupied with all the other things I have been trying to manage to be more conscious of it.

On the weekend Chris mowed the lawn. He mowed the way back part too and he and Iris were picking up sticks back there before hand. I brought a chair out and sat. It was so beautiful... We really never use this part of the yard because it is often so overgrown. When it's mowed you can remember all the possibilities it has and it makes you want to get going on them. Unfortunately, there's not a lot one can get done when walking across the yard makes you want to sit down and rest. I did have the bright idea of putting some mulch around the pole that the trumpet vine grows up. I got a shovel full and decided that I should get the wheel barrow, or this would take forever. I had it about half full when the shovel full I dumped into the wheel barrow had all these round things..
My mind raced, Pingpongballs, no, mushrooms, no OOHhhh.. so that's where the turtle laid her eggs. It's not everydy that you dig up freaking turtle eggs in your pile o' mulch. [ Over a month ago, a large snapping turtle had been hanging around ours, and the neighbour's yards.. She was next to my truck one morning with her butt in the dirt, and Chris roped off the area so we wouldn't hurt the eggs. Guess they aren't there!)]

Fun and games here in Wisconsin.
What creatures live in your back yard?

Overachiever hits road block.

Yes, yes, I know it has been a while. I haven't felt like writing. Here's what is going on over here of late.

I'm pregnant! 25 weeks on Monday and.. it's a boy. Chris and i looked at each other at the ultrasound and commented to each other about how everyone will say "how perfect!" One of each... Chris is tickled, I think. I was convinced I would have two girls.. which is why I'm having a boy, I suppose. After initial freak out, I *am* looking forward to having a boy. If it had been two girls, I bet I would always wonder what a boy would have been like. Plus, I don't have to worry about competition for my affection in that way.. they will be so different. Iris will always be "my girl". I'm glad of that, I love the stage she is at, I love talking to her. Oh.. the things she says.. priceless.

The other thing is that since we are expanding the family, our space will be getting even smaller. Our third bedroom, at roughly 7x9ft is scarcely more than a closet. Fine for a baby I suppose, but then there is no where for guests to stay, and when we live so far from families, a place for guests to sleep is really a necessity here. So, in March or so we signed a contract to have plans drawn for a home addition that was within our budget. We liked the plan a lot and were anxious to begin... So, while trying to get bids.. a contractor recommended that we got to zoning to have them check our plans over to see if we could build them. Mostly this was to see if they would allow us to keep our septic system while adding another bedroom/ office. From here we found out that we had to have our septic system tested to see if the area three ft below the drain field was free of defects/ contamination. So, we had the test done... We failed the test, with them finding bacterias at 9ft below, where our tank vent in 9.5 ft deep. So... we have been "condemned" by the county and have to have the septic system replaced. The bright side of that is that we have room to get a conventional gravity fed system which is substantially less money than a mound system. We are extremely lucky to be able to do this while living on the river. ( whew)

Of course, this now takes up $5000 of our budget. A budget which is not huge to start with. Then, the day after the news of the septic needing to be replaced I had an appointment at zoning again to talk about getting a variance for our house plans. The plans had the garage extending 11 feet ahead of the house. I found out that our house is roughly 25 ft from the right of way and the minimum set back is 30ft. The house, of course, is grandfathered in, but the zoning administrator assured me that there would be no way a variance would allow something to be built that close to the right of way, especially with the other factors of us needing to have the septic replaced anyway, thus giving us other home plan options.

In addition, on my way back to my car, I heard crunching metal, and saw a lady hitting my car in the parking lot. She had insurance, which I got.. and they are fixing the damage to my car. Still, a prefect end to a rather disappointing day.

Here we are, four months into planning with little more than a better understanding of how we should proceed to build an addition. No plans, no bids, no builder. Six and a half months pregnant and frustrated beyond belief. To top things off, the guy that drew the now useless plans has left the company, so I'm not even sure where that leaves us with the home design contract. Time will tell.

Stay tuned.. I'll certainly have something to say.