As the rest of the country prepares to relax and contemplate their blessings with family tomorrow, I am writing a to-do list that includes basic house-hold chores and packing prep.  We have virtually no food in the fridge, as we’ve been preparing for our move to the new house the following week – and worse yet, we have no plan for what we will eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Although we chose to skip the traditional Thanksgiving in favor of focusing on our move and settling into the new house before Christmas, the events that have transpired since that decision have changed the tone from excitement to melancholy.

A laundry list of errors requiring repair were identified during our home inspection last weekend and continued delays with the builder have put the entire moving schedule in serious jeopardy.  The house was supposed to be completed and given a final seal of approval from the inspectors by now, with the possibility that we’d do an “early occupancy” sans rent while waiting for the paperwork to clear and closing to happen.  Instead, we discovered Monday evening that not only was the house not complete and ready for final inspection today, but none of the repairs had been started and no cleaning had yet begun.  With movers scheduled to begin packing our belongings next Wednesday, there is simply no room for these delays.

We’ve given the builder until Monday evening to have everything 100% completed and reinspected, or we will cancel our movers Tuesday morning, although doing so will mean we are no longer guaranteed   a paid move from the military and IF they do reschedule us it could be at least 4-6 weeks before they can get us on the calendar!  Beyond this, we’ve locked in the interest rate on our loan and if we do not close by mid-December there is a penalty fee, plus a fee to buy back down the rate when we do close – totaling close to $2,000.  Add to that time off requested, arrangements for utilities and mail services and finding someone to fulfill our lease and I’m about ready to just burst into tears at any given moment.

This should be a time of happiness and cheer, but instead it’s become one of stress and anxiety.  I’ve spent countless hours following up with the builder, his realtor, our realtor and our lender in an effort to keep everyone updated and moving forward.  I can only imagine the utter chaos that would be upon us right now if I wasn’t a detail oriented planner!

Both the builder and his realtor still claim that they will have the house completed and ready for us to move in on the 6^th, but I’ve heard similar promises before from them and won’t believe it until I see it.  In the meantime I’ll continue to prep and plan our next steps, all while also planning a backup plan just in case.  “Semper Paratus” as my retired Coastie hubby would say or “Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best” as my mom would.

But even as I massage my temples and take deep breaths, I remind myself that there are many who would LOVE to be dealing with the problems I have instead of the ones they are attempting to tackle.  Obviously this isn’t the perfect situation – and if it gets much further in the hole there will be screaming for compensation – but I’m thankful that this is the problem I’m facing, rather than something more serious.  So I shall count the blessings that I do have.

1. We DO have a roof over our heads and we certainly won’t starve tomorrow.
2. Both we and our fur babies are in good health.
3. Although some we love are fighting illness, they are all relatively well.
4. We both have steady employment, which allows us to be in a position to be building a new home.
5. We have friends and family who love us and support us.
6. We will be together on this holiday – something military families understand isn’t always the case.
7. And the holiday will give us an opportunity to sleep in, which hasn’t happened in quite a while! 🙂