Chasing Details

I'm about to go over to the Townhouse and meet a plumber.  The water had been off for a long time and that had an adverse affect on some of the connections.  So, before the appraisal, some minor repairs need to be done.  He also needs to replace one of the shower faucets, and since I don't like the ones in place, I've picked up some new ones and I'm hoping he'll be willing to swap them out. 
Tomorrow is the appraisal, and I think it will go smoothly.  But real estate has been in such a state of flux that the comps may be all over the place... that's the only thing I'm really concerned about as far as the appraisal goes.
There are so many things to keep track of!  And most of them are contingent on each other, so I feel like I'm building this enormous house of cards, or stack of blocks.  All it takes is one thing to fall out, and the rest topple to the floor. 

I've managed to find a home for my massive oak desk and my free-standing evaporative cooler, but I still have a few odds and ends to give away.  I kept all the boxes from the last move, so pretty soon I'm going to start packing up my stuff.  There is the cable to transfer and the post office to notify, movers to schedule and a window guy to set up.  I've already taken a huge load of outgrown clothes and shoes and things to Goodwill, so along with the desk gone there's a big space open in the garage to start putting boxes.  I have lists and notes written down that I consult with daily.

The HOA for the Townhouse changed their management company last fall, and their financials got all tangled up - just in time to re-apply for their FHA certification, which they failed.  The financials have since been straightened out, but their application won't be approved for 30 days, which misses my closing date.  My mortgage broker is going to do a "spot approval" which he feels confident about and so hopefully my closing won't be cancelled or moved out too far.  I'd hoped to have a few weeks to move and get the new place ready.  M has picked out her paint color and is pretty excited about having a pink bedroom.  I'm pretty excited about having a bigger kitchen.  I'm crossing my fingers.

On Tuesday I'm meeting Bob at a local restaurant.  (He picked a good one.)  I've talked to him a couple times on the phone and as much as I hate talking on the phone, I enjoyed it enough to look forward to meeting him.  I wanted to wait until AFTER Valentine's Day, though.  Such foolishness.  Valentine's feels like Dodgeball to me.  Out of all the years of my life that I can remember, I've maybe had a half dozen good Valentine's Days.  I've had a LOT of terrible ones and some truly memorable horrific ones.  I always hope it's going to land on a non-work day so that I can ignore it.

M's class is having a party tomorrow and we have to pick up some Valentines for her to give out.  I hope all the kids give one to everybody.  They're better about that now than they were when I was her age.  It's never too early to teach kids not to be mean.