Nilsa S.'s Page

I believe in the concept of pay-it-forward. I have run a contest regarding such right here on this blog. I have sent people gifts because I think they are *good people*. And I try to lead my everyday life in a way that will come back to me in spades.

And yesterday? I think the payback started. But, here's the thing. I can't really talk about it here. It's this moral dilemma. Because another blogger went way out of her way to do something nice for me. I mean, it was huge. And I feel humbled. Because she did such a nice thing. And the thing is, I choose not to tell you, because, well, it's kind of like why news programs don't talk about suicide.

I know, way to go off on a tangent. Here I am talking about nice stuff and I bring suicide into the picture. But, stick with me. I promise it will make sense.

Your local news doesn't talk about suicide because they don't want copy cats. They don't want people thinking if they attempt suicide, they will make the local news. (Now, why this doesn't apply to the unfortunate mass murders on high school and college campuses around the nation, I'm not sure - because copy catting surely has taken place and those people get all their glory on the news. But, again, I digress.)

Anyway, my point is, I know a number of people on the Internets who read me. And are kind to me. And, well, I don't want you to feel McGee here has set an example. I don't want any more of you to go copying what McGee just did. So, let me lay this post to rest, without further detail, by saying, THANK YOU, MCGEE. You are one amazing long-distance friend. And Sweets now understands why I speak so highly of you. And one of these days, we will meet in person. Maybe our boys and pups will also get to meet. And well, I know when that day comes, all my paying-it-forward ... those debts will be paid off for good!

And for the rest of you who don't know who McGee is, I suggest you travel over to her blog. Give her some bloggylove. Because she is one of those swell people who deserves it.

I'm not sure whether I believe in ghosts, but Sweets and his family think his brother's house is haunted. Sweets' brother (we'll call him Mini, because he's a younger version of Sweets, though certainly not much shorter) and sister-in-law (we'll call her Mini's wife) bought their house a number of years ago. From a woman. Who was selling it on behalf of her mother. Who had just passed away. In the house.

Ever since Mini and his wife moved into the house, they swear it's been haunted. By the deceased previous owner. Curtains blow when there is no wind. The dog barks at seemingly nothing. And when Mini's wife was pregnant, she even tripped over a box that hadn't been in the middle of the room mere moments before ... which sent her to the doctor for a check-up to make sure the fall didn't harm their baby ... which landed her in the hospital because she was 6 cm dilated. They attribute these strange occurrences to the fact they have a ghost. Whom they think usually hangs out in the hallway or in their office.

And last week, the ghost struck Mini's son. Who is two. And decided to climb out of his crib. Only to land on his arm. And break it. When Sweets brought up the idea that the ghost enticed Mini's son out of his crib, both Mini and Mini's wife were convinced. It must be the ghost. Since little kids, like animals, are much more open to sensing and seeing ghosts.

And though I still don't know whether I believe in ghosts. I do know that every time I speak of this matter, the hair on my arm raises. Goose bumps appear. And I get the chills. Sweets is so traumatized by the idea of this ghost, he won't venture into certain parts of Mini's house. Do you believe in ghosts?

You know how sometimes you start the day off on the wrong foot and it sets the tone for the rest of the day? Well, that sort of happened to Sweets and I yesterday. We started off the day with our walk-through of the new condo. We got there a few minutes early and no one else was there. Our bladders were a rush with gameday jitters. We had to find a restroom. So, we drove down the street to a gas station to use theirs. It was a less than pleasing experience. Wet floor from who knows what. Cigarette butts in the toilet. Pee on the seat. No toilet paper. No soap. Yeah, classy. As we were getting in the car, Sweets said he hates when days start like that. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. I laughed him off, saying something to the effect of, C'mon sweetie ... but, we're closing today. I probably shouldn't have done that.

The walk-through was fine. The sellers didn't exactly clean up for us. But, everything seemed to be intact. And only a few minor knicks in the wall. We thanked the sellers' Realtor and went on our way ... to the bank, where I withdrew a very large number in funds. Crap, that hurt. That's a lot of money. And then it was off to the title company.

We arrived early, so we sat in the waiting area. Watched one attorney almost lose it because he had been waiting for 2 hours and paperwork that was supposed to arrive first thing that morning wasn't there. Listened to some of the title guys discuss how it's going to get harder and harder for first time home buyers to qualify for loans. And try to contain ourselves from eating the freshly baked cookies (damn them!).

Our closing started around 10:30. Sweets. Me. Our attorney. The sellers' attorney. The sellers' real estate agent. The title closer. All in a conference room. Lots of paperwork. Everyone of doing their own thing. It was an organized chaos of sorts. And that's when the first mistake was noticed. Sweets' name was misspelled. Now, in real life, Sweets name is something simple like James, Ryan or George. One of those names where there really aren't multiple spellings and everyone has heard of it before. Yet there it was. On every single page. Misspelled. We couldn't complete the paperwork until the lender resent the paperwork. So, we waited.

And while we waited, we filled out the paperwork for our second mortgage (because, although I felt like I was handing away my life savings, it still wasn't 20% down ... and so, we took out a second mortgage to avoid having to pay extra insurance for not putting 20% down). And that's when a question came up that only the lending bank could answer. And the guy we needed to speak with? Was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he was the only person we could speak with. And so, again, we waited.

And then we got our answers and were moving forward at lightening speed. All the paperwork was signed. We were just waiting for the title company to process the paperwork. And cut some checks. And we were good to go. The keys and garage door opener had been handed over to us. Just waiting a few more minutes until ... there was another problem. A major problem. The bank for our first mortgage never wired the funds. Small glitch. Ha. I was immediately on the phone to my mortgage broker who was fuming mad. He said he'd get back to me. And that's when the title processor said we might as well all go home. Because even if the funds were wired at that exact moment. It would take at least an hour. And it was already 2:00PM. And Sweets and I hadn't eaten since 6AM. And our dog was surely doing a dance.

So, we gave the keys back. And went home. Saddened. Frustrated. Defeated. To a very eager dog. And we walked her. And while we were on that walk, the processor from my mortgage broker called. To deeply apologize. She had forgotten to request the funds. I accepted her apology and had very little else to say to her. It was quite clear she was humbled and sorry and would likely not hear the end of it from her boss. And then my mortgage broker called. And was deeply apologetic. And talked to both Sweets and me to make sure we understood exactly what happened. And then some higher-up from the mortgage company called. To apologize on behalf of the company. Clearly, this was an extreme circumstance. But, all we wanted was our keys. And as I was talking to my mortgage guy, I said, Joe, all I want to hear is I will have keys to my new home in my hands by the end of the day. And his answer was a definite affirmative.

And a couple hours later, we got the call. The wired funds had hit the title company. We could pick up our check (I wrote a check for too much, so they paid me back what I didn't owe). And then I could head up a few floors to the sellers' attorney. To pick up our keys. Only there was yet another problem. She didn't leave the garage door opener. So, I waited some more. Until she got back. And there it was. Still in her purse. And I was so spent by this point, I didn't even care I was inconvenienced. Because Sweets, SoMi and I were going to see our new home. And while there are still some minor issues (there is no mail key), they are things we are ready to deal with. Because guess what? THE CONDO IS NOW OURS. And we can move in this weekend and begin our new lives. We couldn't be happier.

Lately, life has been full of must do's. Things that I should've done yesterday, but just didn't have time. Sign these papers. Move out of that home. Choose this invitation. Go register. Call your broker. Email your attorney. Go to this family event. Or that one. And so on. My whole life, down to every waking minute, is planned. There is no wiggle room. Do not pass Go. Go directly to Real Life, where there are far too many responsibilities.

And because of all these must-do items in my life, pampering has become a thing of luxury these days. Something I don't normally have time to do. But, Saturday? I did it. I called one of my bridesmaids to see if her husband would watch their baby. He did. I picked her up and we got manicures and pedicures. Then, because the weather provided a perfect day for us, we met up with the babe and boys for lunch. Outside on a patio. In the sun. Sitting around chatting. Laughing. Bouncing the baby from one lap to the next. And finishing up the meal with a nice walk through the neighborhood.

It's amazing how much better I feel. To have the rough spots cleaned and smoothed. To have the nails trimmed, shaped and with a fresh coat of paint. It's like a mini-cleansing of the body. A few hours to rejuvenate the soul. And prepare me for what's to come. We close on our condo this morning. And should all things go smoothly, we will have they keys to our new life in our hands by this afternoon. Wish us luck!

So, I discovered this cool thing called Wordle the other day. You choose the text. You have some say in the colors, the font and the layout. And voila - a text cloud!


My theme was blogging, of course! A list of some of my daily reads. Cool, fun stuff! Have a great weekend everyone!!!