Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

The plans of moving to Georgia have been accepted much better than I anticipated. It probably has something to do with the fact that the very same week I shared my news with my Mom, my Dad also shared some news.

In short, he wants to retire, and in order to retire, they have to get rid of the house. He can't afford to not work with the house they've lived in for 30+ years. Instead, they'll both retire, give up having a permanent residence, purchase a truck and a 5th wheel trailer and travel the country at their leisure. At first, my Mom was not excited about this. For one, she has filled a 4 bedroom house and a garage with stuff. Having to part with 80% of that stuff will not be easy. Plus, she's lived on that street for 95% of her life, growing up in the house just across the street.

But quickly, as the thought that she too would be able to retire, made her very excited, and even asked my Dad if this 5 year plan, could possibly be shortened.

So, you can see why this would make things easier on Josh and I. They won't even be in L.A. all the time in the next 5 years, and they'll have the ability to come see us whenever they want to.

We've gone to look at trailers with them, and man, they're gorgeous! Some of them are nicer than our apartment, and some even seem BIGGER. I think it's a lifestyle they will love, and I hope, will promote a healthier lifestyle for my Mom.

Speaking of getting rid of permanent residences, my sister Vicki and her husband Josh, fell victim to the economy and foreclosed on their house. Josh, who is in construction, was hit hard. He's gone for a year+ without steady work - and when he did work, it was side jobs, doing brick or pools for $10-$15 an hour, when he normally made upwards of $30-$40. They relied on Vicki's income for 6 months, and she only makes $1800, while the mortgage alone had gone up to $2100.

So last week, they put a notice on her door that the house had gone to auction and was sold, and they had 3 days to move out. Vicki knew it was coming, but not that quickly. They hadn't even told them they were going to put the house up for auction. It seems pretty dirty to me and I think Bank of America really did everything they could to NOT help them in their situation. They tried to renogotiate the loan, file for financial hardship, but they got the runaround every single time. Bank of America just announced they were going to freeze all foreclosures, but it was already too late for my sister.

They will now be moving into a smaller modular, that is fairly nice, but will allow them to not stress about mortgage payments and making ends meet. I know they will miss their house (it was really a great house), but I know this will be huge relief.

The kids will have to share a room now, but I'm sure they won't care too much. Josh should be getting back into steady work again and they'll be able to save up money again and try and get their feet back on the ground.

Josh (my Josh) starts back at work next Wednesday working on Jamie Olivers Food Revolution, and he should have steady work until April, which will be great towards our savings for the move and a down payment on a house. I can't wait!

As for me - I've been running my little life away. I try and do atleast a 5k a day (3.1 miles), doing 20-25 miles a week. I am running in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure on October 17th, and am planning on participating in a Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in February. I feel myself getting stronger, though I've yet to see much of a change in my body, but hopefully, if I keep this up, I'm be strong, and healthy, and for once in my life lean and fit. I'm also going to be doing the Cardio Kickboxing at the church when that starts in a month. I've always wanted to be "athletic" and I'm finally on my way to reaching that.