Friday, Sunday, Monday, today

Friday, I took a half day vacation so Mama and I could travel back to Lawton to try to expand our list. We added two houses to replace the seven that had been redeemed off our original list – but we were really only interested in two from our original list. It is an easy drive to Lawton and Mama and I needed to be as sure a possible that we had all our research done to the point that we could bid confidently at the auction Monday. We could not be sure what to expect, but we wanted to be as prepared as possible. What we wanted to avoid was buying the wrong house – even at a potential profit. It was not a wasted trip, but it proved to be unnecessary.

Saturday was spent at the farm doing nothing particular. I did manage to rearrange the garage, so the Sequoia could be parked inside. It has been many years since Mama has been able to park her vehicle inside. Most of the issue over the years was that the garage was our mini-storage facility, but the major issue was that we drove a fifteen-passenger van for many years and it would not fit in a normal garage. Because of that, and the items required for a household of nine (and all my tools), we needed the garage for all the overflow. A lot of which was beanie babies and seasonal decorations.

Saturday evening, we went to watch Yilin and Cheyenne perform in a ballet – The Glass Slipper. It was fun to watch but I was very tired from working in the heat all day. I struggled to stay engaged through the two-hour ballet. It was well done. I mostly enjoyed it. Alex and Xiu Lin were happy to have us there to share the event with them. The girls were thrilled to have us there. We got home late – after 10 pm – so I am sure the girls did not get to bed until after 11 pm that night.

Sunday Trace and his family came to church with us. The boys really seemed to enjoy it. We went out to the restaurant even though the girls had not come to church that morning. They were sleeping in, so they could get geared up for the second performance of the ballet that afternoon at 3 pm. That would be when Cheyenne’s mommy and grandma could attend. We ate again after church with Trace and his family. At Wendy’s. When we finally got home, I took about an hour to water the trees and bushes in the back yard and the garden. Another late night.

Monday morning, we were off to the courthouse in Lawton, OK bright and early. We met a couple there who had taken the three-day training in February with us and we met our coach. Our coach had flown into Dallas for a seminar last week and had driven from Dallas to Lawton Friday night to do her research. The couple we met there, had spent the weekend in Lawton doing their research. Unbeknownst to as, allof us were in Lawton Friday evening. Once we got registered and got the most current list from the county we found that the only houses left on our list were the two from our original list – and our coach was bidding on one of the two. So, our trip Friday night was not necessary. Oh, well. Our last hope to get a house was way at the end of the list. We watched out first choice go for three times what Mama and I were prepared to bid. (Our coach bought that one.) We watched our friends get a $90k house for $10,100. Mama and I had passed on that one because of the extent of work it looked like would be required to get it ready to sell.

We finally got to bid on our house about 2 pm but were outbid by nearly double the amount we had agreed to spend. We left empty handed. We could have picked up a house or two after the auction over the counter but did into do so. None of those available were on any of our lists so we would not have known what we were getting. We were a little disappointed but also relieved. We had executed our plan well. We just were not prepared to pay as much as other bidders for the properties we identified. Good luck to them. We will move on to the next opportunity.

Mama has her doctor’s appointment today. This time she is seeing the orthopedic surgeon. We will find out what surgery he recommends. I know my preference, but I am not a doctor. Mama will have Aubrey today. The grandma flew out to New Your City this morning to be with her son as he appears before the immigration board. Not sure about that process at all, but they seem to know how to get through the hurdles to become registered here in the US. Anyway, Mama will be keeping Aubrey today and Friday. I think she needs the baby-time to help her through the diagnostic process. How carrying around a toddler helps her knees feel better is beyond me, but she swears that it does. We are prepared for the diagnosis and recommended treatment; whatever that may be. Mama needs the relief.

More on that later.