Hemingway Days and The Most Brutal 5K EVER...

Jason and I had the chance to visit Key West this past weekend. Believe it or not, after slightly over 4 years living in South Florida, we have yet to visit Key West...this was our first excursion.

We went to take part in "Hemingway Days", a 5-day celebration/festival that includes contests and festivals, a HUGE 3-day marlin fishing tournament, and a 5K race around the island.

We stayed in the Douglas House, an absolutely CHARMING boutique inn right on the corner of Duval and Amelia streets. We arrived LATE Friday night, and woke up at the crack of dawn to begin exploring Key West. Our first stop was the obligatory photo op of Southernmost Point. Here we were able to not only get our picture, but see several Key West staples...rampant chickens, guys in drag, and elderly Cubans screaming: "Asesino!!" across the water towards Fidel.

It was only 9am, and already sweltering. As I locked my bike, sweat literally dropped from my face in pools...my make-up had already worn off, and my shirt was plastered to my back. I was already nervous about the upcoming 5K race I would be running in 10-and-a-half hours...

Next stop was the Ernest Hemingway House. This was AMAZING...I learned so many colorful and unique stories about this prolific American author, who actually completed most of his works here in Key West. I would love to share all these amazing stories with you...but the post would be immense.

One of the things Hemingway was famous for was his cats. He had received a polydactyl cat as a gift from a captain of a wrecker. Hemingway believed these cats, who are exceptional mousers, thanks to their additional toes, were good luck. He collected and bred them. They are featured in MANY pieces of artwork around the house...including an original sculpture given to Hemingway by his good friend, Pablo Picasso, who knew of his love for these cats.

(That sculpture has it's own very real, and immensely tragic, story.)

Today, more than 44 cats live at Hemingway House, and they are known the world over as "Hemingways".

Most of the 44 are polydactyls...just like our beloved cat Jay...who somewhere down his feline family tree is related to the famous first cats of Hemingway.

After the museum, we rode our bikes down Duval Street to Hemingways favorite watering hole, Sloppy Joes...where we had conch fritters, Sloppy Joes, and several gallons of water while waiting for the "Papa Hemingway Look-a-Like" contest and the "Running of the Bulls" race/event that took place just outside the bar.

I even managed to get a picture astride one of the hobby-horse "bulls" with two "Papa Hemingway" contestants.

By now it was mid-afternoon, and the heat was really taking it's toll. Both Jason and I were literally soaked to the skin and feeling the drain of heat and humidity...so we rode back to the Douglas House and changed into our swimsuits and cooled off in the pool. We also stepped around the corner to share a piece of Key Lime pie...figuring it would be indecent to visit Key West without sampling that particular treat.

We tried to keep cool and rest the remainder of the afternoon, venturing out only to get our race packets and a light bite of soup and salad. At 7pm, we headed back down to Southernmost Point for the 5K.

It was still sweltering.

There wasn't a large group of racers, and looking around, it was obvious that most of them were seasoned runners. I guess you'd have to be pretty dedicated to drive all the way down to Key West to run a 5K in 93 degree weather with a 66% humidity.

I knew within the first half-mile I was in trouble. Earlier in the week, Jason and I had run a "mock" 5K...running casually and not racing, per se...but timing ourselves all the same. On that day, I ran a 10:14 mile...my best time yet...and I wasn't even working that hard. t was an almost 2 minute improvement over my last race pace taken on July 4th when I ran the Westin 5K. I was confidant about my abilities.

Alas...although we ran through beautiful, shaded, and historically interesting neighborhoods, I had little strength to look around and enjoy my surroundings. I felt sapped and energy drained. As it ended, I ran a an 11:14 minute mile, making my time 34:50.5...an improvement from my last time by about 45 seconds. Although an improvement is, I feel, miraculous...it might be more telling to share my place stats. I'm used to being in the "middle" of the competitors and age group racers...neither being the worst, or the best, runner.

But in this race, which had the smallest amount of participants of any race I have yet run, I came in at 302 out of 401, and 24th out of 30 racers in my age group. Ouch...

Nevertheless...I DID improve my time, and in conditions that I felt were extremely unfriendly...so I'm going to call it a win.

After the race...we didn't hang around...and headed straight for the blessed air conditioning and an ICE COLD shower. After the shower, we had tickets to go on a haunted ghost tour of Key West, supposedly the fourth most haunted city in the United States. The tour included a visit to the museum that holds Key Wests' most creepy resident...Robert the Doll.

A doll supposedly imbued with dark voodoo magic that has wrecked havoc in the lives of all who possess him. I was the only one brave enough to "ask" the dolls permission to take photos. While I spoke with him, the girl next to me, who was holding an EMF reader, let out a gasp...her reader was fluctuating all over the place.

When I had finished photographing Robert, it calmed down again. This made the other people on the tour EXTREMELY spooked, although Jason and I took it as "all good fun". I am, as far as I know, the only person to get photos of Robert that night from our group...so I guess it's pretty interesting.

We walked home from the tour, drinking in the insane night life that infects Duval street as the hours tick closer to midnight. Too tired to hang out and party, we went straight back to the Douglas House and gratefully climbed into bed. We had to get up VERY early the next morning so we could drive home and Jason could go back to work.

We had a lovely time on our mini-vacation...and hope to return to Key West again someday, hopefully with the kids.

Feliz Noche Buena!!!

In my family, we celebrate Christmas Eve with cookies, chili, and family. I really miss Christmas Eves surrounded by the Fraley uncles and cousins, laughing and giving gifts and being together.

Here in South Florida, traditions are different. True to our philosophy of experiencing every place we live to the fullest, we've temporarily suspended our own holiday traditions to adopt those of our surroundings. The last two years, we've celebrated a South American Christmas at our friends, the Inzas, This year, we were invited to a Cuban Noche Buena at my dear friends, Ily Gagnes.

Ily is a very dear friend of mine, and her daughter, Brianna, is Kaitlyns best friend. Unfortunately, Kaitlyn was spending Christmas in California with her dad, and couldn't go with us to the Gagnes...and we really missed her. But we had a good time, anyway!!!

Noche Buena doesn't begin until 8 or 9 pm (at the earliest). For Noche Buena (which means "Christmas Eve"), you roast a pig. This was our porky dinner...we debated all evening as to whether or not he was of the straw or stick variety (assuming all brick piggies were safe at home enjoying hot cocoa and waiting for Santa). Other traditional food is white rice, black beans, sweet Cuban tamales (SO GOOD!!), soft Cuban bread, and yucca w/ garlic. I used to hate yucca (we called it YUCK-A)...but Ilys' was fabulous, and I actually went back for seconds...garlic breath be damned!! It was SO DELICIOUS...both Jason and I pigged out (literally!!!).

Ily's oldest son Brandon was home from university for Christmas, which made Ily VERY happy. I love chatting with Brandon, so it made my day, too.

I look as chubby as I felt in this pic...but I love Ily so much that I don't care!!!

This is Ily and Kaitlyns best friend, Brianna! Merry Christmas!!!

When we got home (at an early hour for Miami...it was only 11pm!!), we discovered that the Christmas Eve Elf had been to our house, and dropped off the first presents of the holiday!! The kids got to un-wrappin' right quick!!!

Brig was so tired, he could hardly hold his eyes open. But check out the awesome new jammies the Christmas Elf brought!!

The girls got darling jammies, too!!!

Okay...we're ready for bed and Santa Claus!!

Merry Christmas to All...and to All, A Good Night!!!

Stunning Sunrise

Last night, I pulled an all-nighter with my Girl Scouts at Movie Mania, a lock-in at a movie theater. We watched movies and ate junk food from 10pm until 5am.

There were 913 Girl Scouts at Movie Mania...it was loud, crowded, and crazy. And exhausting. My beautiful co-leader Karen and I barely made it the hour and a half drive home.

But when I got home, all my sleepiness was swept away by the absolutely GORGEOUS display put on by Mother Nature. There was a STUNNING sunrise, and the way it reflected off my lake literally took my breath away.

Now, there is no replacement for natures majesty as visioned in the flesh...but I hope these pictures give you a slight taste of how splendidly my morning began...

This last is my favorite...a close-up of the sunrise's reflection in my lake...

Good morning, world!!

Ida is late...

After an extremely quiet hurricane season...we are FINALLY going to see some (albeit weak) action. Tropical Storm Ida, forecasted to be Hurricane Ida in several hours, is moving up to the Gulf Coast. Which is the opposite coast I am on...so there is no REAL worry. Not only that, but shes projected to be a weak hurricane...and drop quickly back to a tropical storm.

Tropical storms STILL give lots of wind and rain...they have windspeeds up to 73 miles per hour and dump LOTS of water...as well as spin off tornados...which scare me a hella' lot more than hurricanes.

Here is Idas 3-day cone...


Looking at the above picture, you'd think that all the hoopla over storms in Florida is silly. After all...the cone shows that the projected path of the hurricane never even GETS CLOSE to South Florida....

In the below picture, you can see the wind speed projections. (I always love these colorful pictures...). In it, you can see that Florida WILL INDEED see some wind effects from Ida, should her course stay true. But it STILL looks like my little pocket of paradise...waaayyyy over on the most Southeast corner, still remains unaffected. So you're still thinking..."Whats the big deal?"

I like THIS picture best...it is a satellite image of the actual storm. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...hurricanes are not dots in a cone. The are MASSIVE weather systems, and even small ones can be hundreds of miles big and affect areas WAY out of their direct path...

You can see that even though Ida has barely cleared the Venezuelan coast, she is already affecting weather here in MY corner of South Florida. For two days, we've had a fabulous breeze. I've enjoyed it immensely.

Well see how that breeze works out over the next few days, shall we?

International Coastal Clean-Up Day 2009

Part of being a Scout is being a Good Citizen...and part of being a Good Citizen is helping keep your planet clean. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to help in International Coastal Clean-Up Day. It's a day where people all over the world get together to collect trash off the beaches and record what was collected to help educate the public on the dangers of littering. WE were helping at two separate sites on Key Biscayne...Bill Baggs State Park and Crandon Park and Nature Center.

I was able to take not only Girl Scouts, but a couple Boy Scouts as well. In fact, it was a family event, so I took my whole family!! Even little Nicolette was there to help!! And I wasn't the only one...Karen (my co-leader) brought her kids, the Tylers had their whole family, as did the Rosales'! It was GREAT!!

I was really excited to go...not just to help out, but also to try some new tricks with my camera. Kaliayah was ready to go, too.

"C'mon, guys!! Let's GO!!!!"



Savannah was ready to work, too...giggly even early on this stormy morning. There was lightening...so we had to wait for the storm to stop before we went out on the beach.




Abi and Savannah played games with the kids while waited for the lightening to stop...Red Rover, Tightrope Challenge, and I Spy.



Michelle and Jessica were really just happy to sit and chat.



Once we got started, though...my Girl Scouts really went to town. They were dedicated and committed to "Making the World a Better Place" Here is Oriana hauling a bag of trash off the beach.


Of course...some weren't as helpful...mainly the teenagers that need the service hours to graduate. Karen was supervising...but as you can see...Karen was REALLY in need of some Cafe con Leche...so while my girls toil away in the background, Kaitlyn, Emily Tyler, and Alex Perez hang out and chat a bit.

While Karen and Heidis' group toiled away at Crandon Park, the rest of us were gettin' crackin' at Bill Baggs.

Girl Scouts ROCK!!!!

While cleaning up at Bill Baggs, I was able to play with the macro feature on my camera. I took this picture of a giant banana spider. This guy was about as big across as the tip of my middle finger to the base of my palm. I wanted to put my hand next to it so you'd have a comparison, but although I'm told these giant spiders are "gentle" and hardly ever bite...I was too chicken to get that close. A couple of my Girl Scouts offered to do it, but I refused. Can you imagine me explaining that to someones mom?!?!?!?

This is no ordinary pile of sand...it is a sea turtle nest. And as you can see...it's occupants had just hatched the night before. We saw these nests every few feet up and down the beach...all with shredded leathery turtle eggs and tracks leading out to sea...

Again...I used my macro to take some close-ups of the eggs. The kids were amazed to pick up the shells and feel that they were soft...sort-of like a deflated balloon...

Serving others and your community is really it's own reward...but having another incentive isn't bad, either...and our incentive was free passes to the Miami Seaquarium for all International Coastal Clean-Up volunteers!! It was SO HOT and humid that we headed straight for the Dolphin and Killer Whale show in hopes of getting splashed!!

At the show, I got to try out the Sports feature of my camera...where it takes several shots ion a few seconds...so I got some great ones of the killer whale and her trainer showing their stuff!!

Here's another one...

After the show (and a good soaking), we wandered around the park and looked at the various aquariums and exhibits. One highlight was the manatees. Abi was VERY happy to see them..as "Manatee" is her camp name (she earned it for being so sweet and gentle).

All in all...yucky weather included...it was a great day helping our community and environment. I'm so proud of my Scouts and my family and the families of those that participated for being so socially conscious and setting a good example of service!! Together, we can "Make the world a Better Place!!"

Letter To The Judge

I am running out of options AND time with this whole house thing. My crocked landlord's attorney just filed a motion to evict us immediately because our response to previous eviction summons didn't include a request to waive rental fees. I didn't know that I had to do that, and that means, that per Florida Statute 83.60 I have " absolutely waived my tenet defenses" and that the "landlord is entitled to an immediate default judgement for removal of the tenet with a writ of possession ti issue without further notice or hearing thereon."
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Are you flipping KIDDING me?
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I can't afford a lawyer, and afford to move. And since every lawyer we've spoken to tells us we have NO RIGHTS WHATSOEVER, I opted to put my money on moving.
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But if she gets to kick me out BEFORE my move-in date...
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Or what if the judge allows her to sue us for the last two months rent PLUS her legal fees? We don't have THAT, either...
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And to think...the law is on HER side...
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...this is why people don't trust government. It protects the WRONG people!!
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So, with nothing to lose, I am trying to appeal to the judge's sympathies, and wrote a letter to him personally. I am asking that all my friends and family do the same.
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PLEASE...if you like us even a little bit...PLEASE write a personal letter to the judge telling him who you are, how long you've known us, and that you think it is unfair to be forced into this situation. Tell him you'll miss us when we move away. If we already live away from you, tell him about our character, and that we don't deserve this.
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Tell him ANYTHING...but PLEASE help us plead our case. We are DESPERATE!!!
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You have to do it fast...I only have a few days. And you have to snail mail it...there is no e-mail. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...take a few minutes and write a letter, and send it to:
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Ms. Linda O'Niel
Judicial Assistant to the Honorable Robert W. Lee
Broward County Courthouse
201 S.E. 6th Street
Room 331
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
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This is a copy of the letter I wrote:
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August 24, 2009
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Honorable Robert W. Lee
Ms. Linda O’Niel
Broward County Courthouse
201 S.E. 6th Street
Room 331
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
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Case No: 09-010368 53
Case: Nubia Hernandez vs. Jason & Shannan Johnson regarding property at
18651 SW 15th Street, Pembroke Pines, FL 33029
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Your Honor,
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My name is Shannan Johnson. My husband, Jason, and I rent 18651 SW 15th Street from Nubia Hernandez. We have rented the home for 2 years, and live there with our 5 children. Our rent is $2,175.00 a month, and we have ALWAYS paid our rent on-time. Ms. Hernandez came personally, or sent one of her sons, to pick up our rent checks every month. We never had any more contact from her than that…she changed phone numbers frequently and it always seemed that when we needed to contact her, the number we had was not a working number. A couple times she had a friend call us who spoke English (Ms. Hernandez English is limited).
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Jason and I have not been renters since we were newlyweds over 12 years ago. We have moved all over the country with his employment, and have always bought our own homes. When we moved here in June 2007, home prices were so high that we could not afford them. Unwilling to take advantage of “easy money loans” that we knew we could not afford, we chose to rent.
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Several months ago, we started receiving notices in the mail, or attached to our front door and garage, from different businesses offering foreclosure assistance. We also started receiving recorded solicitation calls from law firms and credit counseling agencies. When Ms. Hernandez would come and pick up the rent, we would question her about the notices and calls. We have several friends in the area whose landlords went into foreclosure and didn’t tell them, then “disappeared”, leaving them to be evicted by the bank. We were scared to lose our home. Ms. Hernandez assured us that nothing was wrong and that we had no need to worry…the calls and notices were just advertisements. Despite warnings from our friends who had previously been through similar ordeals, we chose to believe and trust in Ms. Hernandez.
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This went on for several months…we talked with her repeatedly about the notices…even when certified letters came to the house…she assured us that they weren’t for her, but for her sister. We discussed renewing our lease in July.
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In June 2009, Ms. Hernandez came as usual to collect our rent. We were leaving on an extended vacation to visit our only family, located in the West. I told Ms. Hernandez that I would leave the July rent at a neighbor’s. Our lease would technically be up at the end of June…and we wanted to renew…but Ms. Hernandez didn’t seem to be in a rush to sign new paperwork. She agreed to pick up the rent at the neighbors. I figured we would sign a new lease when we returned.
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A few days later, a man came to my door to serve us a foreclosure summons. Upon reading the summons, we found out that Ms. Hernandez had not paid her mortgage since January 2009. We were given 20 days to respond, so we wrote a response, and included copies of our lease and copies of all the cleared checks we had written since June 2007, and delivered it to the courthouse and to the banks’ attorney. We were terrified. This was our worst nightmare…to be forced from our home with our children and have no where to go.
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We were committed to our vacation, and having done all we knew to do regarding the foreclosure, and unable to contact Ms. Hernandez, we left. While on vacation, I received a phone call from Ms. Hernandez friend, asking me which neighbor I had left the rent with. I told the friend that I had been served foreclosure papers on the house, and that I would not pay rent until I knew that the home was secure. I asked that Ms. Hernandez resolve her delinquency and contact us so we could work together to solve the problem. I never heard from her, or her friend, for the rest of vacation.
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My husband returned to Florida earlier than the kids and I to resume work, and received a certified letter in the mail from Ms. Hernandez. In the letter, she stated that she was getting her mortgage modified, and that it was none of our business what she did. She demanded we pay her the money and leave, stating that we were out of the lease (which I thought was ironic, since she didn’t seem to care about the state of the lease when she called to collect the rent).
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Jason and I had no desire to continue renting from her, and as soon as I returned home, we started the process of looking for a new home. We figured that with her in foreclosure, there was no way we would get our last months rent/deposit back from her. We figured we had a least 2 months to find a house…one of which was already used as we had been out of the state on vacation.
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On August 7, we received an eviction summons from Ms. Hernandez, giving us 5 days to respond…which we complied with. In our response, I addressed that we have been good tenets, always paying our rent and caring for the house as our own home. We bemoaned the fact that in order to move, it was going to cost us first and last months rent, and up to 2 months security deposit to stay in the area…possibly $8,800 dollars. Not only that, but there were new utility deposits, moving expenses like boxes and renting a truck, and if we moved into a new gated community, fees for pool keys and barcodes.
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Not only are their financial repercussions, but emotional ones as well. What about my children leaving their home, and the friends they’ve made? What if they have to change schools? We have moved enough to know that these things can be traumatic for small children…now we have kids in high school and middle school, as well as elementary and preschool!! We had promised that we would not move again for a long time…now we were being forced to move because of someone else’s’ bad choices.
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After furious searching, we have finally found a place to move to. We have to increase the amount we spend a month in rent to stay in the general area…which is something we are very nervous to do…being such a large family on a single income means watching every penny. Our entire savings (including our Christmas budget) has to be used to move. We saved the two months rent we have not paid Ms. Hernandez to put down on the new home…but it was not enough. We had to buy a washer and dryer, as the new home didn’t come with one, adding to the cost.
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Although we are in the area, we were not able to find a home in our children’s school boundaries. My children are forced to change schools. Not only that, but we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), and our church is organized in such a way that you attend services depending on where you live…a group of people living in one area are organized into a “ward”, and there are so many “wards” in a “stake”, and so many “stakes” in an “area” (much like cities, counties, and states). We had to move out of our ward’s AND stake’s boundaries, and have to attend a whole new ward. My children are devastated to leave their friends at home, school, AND church. My husband and I are sad to leave the friends that we have adopted as “family” (since we are so far away from our own family) as well.
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All of this could’ve been avoided if Ms. Hernandez had been honest and forthright with us. We kept our end of the contract faithfully, and expected her to do the same. For 6 months she has collected a monthly $2175.00 rent from us, totaling $13, 050.00…all the while jeopardizing my family. Even after we had been served, she still tried to collect rent. In fact, she is STILL trying to collect rent from us. She doesn’t seem to have any concern for what she has put my family through, financially or emotionally. She only cares about lining her pockets.
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I know from looking on-line that she has other properties, and that several have gone into foreclosure. I am sure that she is trying to “modify” them all. Has she been collecting rent from all those properties as well, while not paying those mortgages? Can you imagine the income she has received if that is the case? I thought the stimulus package was to help hard-working people who lost their job, or had an income reduction, or an illness to keep their homes…it wasn’t meant for people who took out careless loans they couldn’t afford to take advantage of. But it appears that that is JUST what is going on.
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We are moving into our new home next month. We will b e out of Ms. Hernandezs home as of September 10, 2009.
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I received a letter on the 21st of August from her attorney stating that because we had not specifically requested to have our rent waived in our response to the eviction summons, that our rights were waived. Your Honor, we don’t have an attorney. How can we afford one when we’re being forced to re-locate our family? So perhaps I didn’t answer the summons EXACTLY right…

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…but I am asking now…Ms. Hernandez has taken our money under false pretenses. She has no problem extracting more. We do not want to live in her house any longer, and ask only to be allowed to leave with no further financial penalty. We promise to be out of the house on September 10, and Ms. Hernandez can keep our deposit /last month rent. At that point, the house will no longer be our home, and return to the care and upkeep of Ms. Hernandez.
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I humbly ask that our family not be made to suffer any further.
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Thank you for your time,
Jason and Shannan Johnson
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Please, please, please write to the judge in our defense. It is our only option now.
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Love you all,
Shannan

Our Soon-To-Be New House...

Most of you know that we've been in the market for a new home. Not because we necessarily WANT to move, but because our landlord is a crook who is going into foreclosure.

Don't get me wrong...there are lots of people who are really struggling, but who are otherwise honest and hardworking, who are stuck in the downward spiral known as the "housing market". They may have a job loss, or wage decrease, or simply be overwhelmed by underwater houses. Those people are not crooks.

But my landlord collected rent from us for 6 months and lined her pockets with it while ignoring her financial obligations on her mortgage. She's losing her house, and trying to evict us because we won't pay her rent while she does.

Some say we're in the wrong because like it or not...we're in her house, and therefore owe her money...no matter if she pays her mortgage or not. Then there are others who say that we're right, and should not pay her to get kicked out of the house we've called home for two years by a bank.

No matter what side of the fence you sit on during the argument...it doesn't change the fact that we need to find a new home, and we need to find one quick.

We've spent the last couple weeks looking at houses, trying to find one in our price range, big enough for our family, and in the area we want to live. It's been a very tall order, and we've had to make some concessions...specifically on location.

After fruitless searching and making offers, we finally found a place in our price range and big enough for our family...but out of our designated area. We're still in the same town, but we'll have to change schools, wards, and even STAKES.

Whoa.

Nevertheless - it's our only choice...and I can't help feel that we were guided to that particular home...though I'm not sure why.

But that's no surprise. I'm never sure why. Heavenly Father and I constantly butt heads over His plan versus mine (well...HE doesn't butt heads...I do. Against big concrete walls. Again...and again...and again. I'm very stubborn that way).

Anyway...we signed the lease this morning, and get to start moving in on the 1st of September. We wanted to start moving in right away, but they wanted to prorate the rent, and it just wasn't worth it, since we have to buy a washer and dryer and are paying a slightly higher monthly amount anyway...

As it is...we start moving in September 1st. I think it will take about a week to move completely in...since Jason has to work, the kids are in school, and we can only afford a truck for one day. it means I'll be driving back and forth with lots of small loads all week long...which might give me plenty of time to clean and organize things the way I want them. I might even get to paint a little (my kids will trash the bright white flat contractor paint that currently adorns the walls in the home).

Here are some pictures of our soon to be new home...

This is the view from our backyard...we are on the water...

The view is equally pretty from the upstairs windows...

This is the little screened porch where we will sit and avoid mosquito's...

This is the front "living room". It's been a while since we've had a living room...it'll be nice to have an entertaining place available that I can keep clean all the time, while letting the rest of the house go to pot...(yah, right)...

This is the formal dining room that is destined to become our office space...

This is the master bedroom. It is downstairs and has sliding glass doors to the little patio and views of the lake...

This is the opposite end...looking into the master bath...

This is the stairs...with Savannah standing at the top...

This is the little alcove at the top the stairs. The owners used it as an office...but we'll probably use it as an...alcove. (Very original, huh?)

This room is destined to be Katies room. She gets it because she is the only one who doesn't have to share, and it is the smallest room. it doesn't have a lake view, though...and she's very put out about that...

This room will be the boys room. it is the biggest...and has a lake view...

This is going to be the girls room. It also has a lake view...it is where I took that picture of the lake from above...ya' know the one with the tacky "Security Device" sticker that gives away that I'm shooting through a closed window?

Oh, yeah...that one.

All the cages belong to the owners...they had a rabbit and two hamsters. The kids are thoroughly disappointed that renting the house doesn't include renting the pets as well.

This is the upstairs bathroom. It's pretty small, and I'm sure that with 5 kids sharing it, there are going to be conflicts. I guess we'll deal with those as they happen...

This is another shot of the front of the house. You'll notice that I didn't take pictures of the kitchen, family room, or casual dining area. that's because these areas are SO SMALL...that I couldn't bear to spend a week stressing about where everything is going to fit. It is the MAJOR DRAWBACK to this otherwise delightful home...and one I will worry about incessantly all week long. *Sigh*

Not being able to use this week to transport our stuff from this house to that one sets us back a bit...we really wanted to be OUT and DONE by the 1st of September...but I'm sure there is a plan in that, too. I just don't see it.