New Friends Chat

[Catherine]

PS Our plan is to save up to purchase a fifth wheel. There will be a roof over our head. That goal for us is helping me this time around. Catherine

[Catherine]

Dear PJD123,



I read your thread. Oh my goodness we have sooooooooooooo much in common. Our State, our timeline, sick of being broke, digging deep to be strong, total confusion at times and all the flip flop emotions of facing this. At least for me, I flip flop. I do think after all the input I have gotten I am getting closer to some much needed peace of mind for leaving this house behind. When the time comes to pack up my home I am sure I will take break come here cry out being blessed others completely understand. Thank you so much for sharing what you did. I feel so much better to read I am not alone on some of these issues we face. Oh can I please have your first name if that is okay? Wishing you the best, Catherine

[pjd123]

Cathernine,

Yes, like you I have found alot in common with so many people here. Again, its a horrible thing that so many are going through this, yet a comfort to find that you're not alone. I've done the flip flop thing too... lol. Lately though, I'm done crying over it. I just finally hit a place of 'enough already! Time to move forward'. Now tomorrow, I may cry again... we'll see....

Anyway, my name is Paula - its nice to meet you.

Take care.

[cactus77727]

Oh if I recall Cactus are you the garden hose guy LOL back at you that lives in Arizona? There is outage coming up at Palo Verde Power Plant. I have friends that do them. If you are the same person I am thinking of I could ask who to contact if you would like. LOTS of overtime!!

Hi! Yes, I'm the one who uses a garden hose attached to the water heater, so I can have hot showers. Although, I'm working on a more elegant solution, and will hookup the sink too.

Outage at Palo Verde? Palo Verde is pretty far from me. What do they do? I would be interested thank you.

[Catherine]

Morning Cactus,



I have to wait for an over load of caffeine to kick in before I can add a good to that. Palo Verde shuts down for a period of time do what I would call a tune up on the reactor that is powered down hense outage. I used to do outages while raising my family. Couple of months of six twelve's, nice break from the little blessings (kidding not always blessings) with enough income to compare to a full time job. That allowed me my dream of being a full time Mom. My husband is planning to be at their next outage after he completes the one here at Diablo Canyon. One job I know they hire for entry level is Firewatch. It's boring. You baby sit a welder and fitter, but with your humor you could make it fun. I can't recall if Palo Verde pays per diem to out of towners, but my girlfriend just finished there so I will call her today for contacts and a couple other friends if you would like. If I recall correctly you have to pass a background check, drug test, with lots of classroom time to be approved to enter the plant. The starting wage out there (don't hold to this) is between 14-16 an hour. You make a chuck of change in the over time. One future plan my husband and I discussed is I could give up my job and travel with him. My current position of meter reading for Pacific Gas & Electric is slotted to go two more years. The plan is to install smart meters so our jobs will go away. PG&E has kept me on a temporary status for almost five years. No benefits for the days when a pit bull sees me has breakfast. I love the moments in my day when the only words out of my mouth is oh sh^& nice doggie?? Or when customers ask me if it's that time of the month again? I got my degree in environmental technology but this income is too good to leave just yet. My son gave me a new cell phone for Christmas which has proven how electronic illiterate I truly am, but I can get e-mail. Which only proves again I read the meters don't approach me with an electrical question I am not qualified to answer, but I do love saying sorry my knowledge goes has far as the GFI on my blow dryer It's doesn't but I have fun in my day too. Hope this can help, Catherine

[Catherine]

I'm here GOOD morning!


Paula it is a great pleasure to meet you. It would mean the world to me to keep in touch to reach out for sharing this journey. The good, bad and ugly. Professor Shays I hope your input on the your meeting was met with great results. Catherine

[cactus77727]

Hi Catherine,

I would be very interested! I'd rather be a fire watcher than a TV watcher. So who knows, it may be a new career direction for me.

I would be able to pass a background check. As for the distance, I'm out of my home come April anyway, so I can move anywhere really. I'm sure I could find a place to live closer to the plant. I've got relatives in the West Valley.

I would like to explore this more. Thank you so much!

[pjd123]

Good morning Catherine,

I will keep posting here. Have a 'Terrific Tuesday'.

pjd123

[Catherine]

Good Afternoon Cactus,

What is your name? Quick update. I wrote one friend and left a message for another to provide contact information for you. Will post the minute I have news. Happy Tuesday to each of you, Catherine

[cactus77727]

I'm Kent. Thanks Catherine!

[Catherine]

Kent,

Got one reply so far. Look up Bartlett Nuclear Inc. Catherine

[cactus77727]

Great. I'm checking it out now. Thanks.

[Catherine]

GOOD Mooooooooorning,

Kent,

You are ever so welcome!!!
Sorry the last reply was so short. I ran home typed, ran back out. Another friend Tracy suggested Bartlett also. My other girlfriend Colleen started her work week so it may closer to the end of it I hear back from her, but I recall her telling me of a different web site she uses. There is work all over in this field. I also know it's hard to get in, but once you do and prove yourself the callbacks come easy. Some requires you join a Union and travel. I wish you the best of results!!

Paula,

Day three of adopting your in spite of our houses it's a great day. Hope you woke up here too. Had a nice long talk yesterday with my coworker Anita. She too is in an adjustable loan. Way upside down, it hasn't adjusted so she it not here and can afford it when it does. Her biggest issue with Country Wide is making her loan fixed, but they won't make time to deal with her. A welcomed reality check was my yesterday. It is just a house!! For the last several months I have let losing it consume me. Not in a good way. I don't know what the plan for our lives are, but I do know if I step back and allow that plan it always works out for the best. I tend to get in the way of that. Getting me to this house in the first place was a battle of wills. When the time comes to let this place go I hope I can focus on what is really important. My friends, my family and my time spent helping others in need if I can like I have gotten to get me through this. Please don't get me wrong I am on my knees praying for a miracle to keep us here, but if that doesn't happen it's just a house. I have the feeling I will be repeating those words today and lots of my tomorrow's. It's a great day and it is just a house. I have bigger and better blessings I am thankful for. Sometimes the smallest ones are the best. Even if there are times I forget what is really important coming back makes this easier to accept. Big hugs, Catherine

[Catherine]

Kent,

If I may suggest this. Since I bought a 'fixer' there are two places I found to purchase items at a major discount for home repairs. I do not know if a Habitat for Humanity building supply store is close to you, but if it is they have plumbing items way cheap. The other place I used to hang out was Craigslist under material. Catch up with you later, Catherine

[pjd123]

Good morning Catherine,

I understand how you feel, and spent a couple of months there myself. Keep prayerful. I was praying for God to bless us with being able to stay - but changed my prayers to let me know whats best for my family. Turns out that when the peace came, somehow I knew staying here wasn't going to secure our future. So I'm not paying my mortgage since they wont work with us, saving as much as possible, cleaning out cabinets and getting ready to start somewhere new. I'm actually starting to look forward to it! I mean, imagine what a relief its going to be to rent for 2/3 or maybe even 1/2 of what I'm paying here, able to save the difference (somewhere between $1500-$2000/mo) and buy able to have that for a down payment on a house in 5 years, when prices are LOW any my credit is OK again! I'm grateful for my new found outlook and pray others that have to move found the same thought process..... its SO much easier!

Well, its a 'Wonderful Wednesday'! Enjoy your day - off to clean out and purge the bathroom cabinets today!

[KT in CA]

Hey Paula and Catherine -

Just snooping through your posts here. I too, Paula, am really looking forward to moving. We are leaving an 1800 sq ft house in a court on a 15k sq ft lot. Probably will never find anything like it again. My husband complained that the yard was too big to take care of anyway. There are many things we look forward too. My husband especially wants to find a home where the lawn is taken care of so he doesn't have to bother with it. I want bigger bedrooms for our girls. Their rooms now are so small. And I'd really like a modern kitchen because the one in our house is somewhat dated.

I try to get my girls excited about it. The younger one is 5 and she's just excited we'll be moving. The 12 year old is a little bit different because she's leaving friends she's made in the neighborhood. But she's ALWAYS complained that she wanted to live in a 2 story and wanted a bigger bedroom, so I told her we can probably take care of that for her. I just hope we can stay in the same neighborhood because I don't want to take her out of her junior high.

We had 3 dogs, but had to put one down on Xmas eve. So at least our pet deposit has gone down by one dog.

I just dread, dread, dread packing up all our CRAP! At least it's a reason to throw things away though. I guess I should probably start slowly doing that. Packing up things we don't use on a regular basis.

I also think about what we'll be saving too. Our current payments are $3400 a month. We do have some bills to pay off, so I'm paying the smaller ones and leaving the larger ones until after the foreclosure. So right off the bat, if we rent a house for $2000 then we'll save about $1500 a month. Plus lower insurance since we will only have renters and not homeowners. Plus our utility bill will probably be cheaper. So there are lots of good things.

The bad is the process we all have to go though to get there, the hit to our credit reports, and the tax consequences. Those are things that we can get through, one way or another. And if we owe taxes, then we owe taxes, and we can do payment plans to pay those. Our credit will recover and one day we will be MUCH smarter homebuyers. Think of all we will have learned!

Keeping the perspective that it's a business decision has helped me a lot too.

Just my 2 cents. Have a great day you guys.

Karen

[pjd123]

Good morning Karen!

Nice to hear from you. It sounds like alot of us are living parallel lives right now, doesn't it? I know what you mean about all you posted. We're going from a 2400 sq ft house to probably something around 1700 sq ft. We only have 1 child at home, our (almost) 17 year old son. We just don't need this much house so now is the time to make the adjustment for us. The going rate here is roughly $1/sq ft for rentals. In some cases you can get alot more, but thats usually spending $2200/mo for a 3000+ sq ft home, making it much less than $1/sq ft, but again, we just don't need that much house. Unlike your little one, I'm looking forward to a single story if possible. The PG&E will be much lower for one thing....heating and cooling a 2 story is much more costly. Like your older daughter, we're trying to stay close by so our son can finish high school where is is.

Anyway, the important thing is that we are realistic about the negatives, but looking forward to the positives that are just around the corner for us, right?

Have a wonderful wednesday!

Paula
PS: I'm so sorry to hear about your dog

[cactus77727]

Hi Catherine,

The Nuclear Option
I just sent off an email and my resume to one of the Palo Verde outage coordinators at Bartlett. I inquired about entry level, and expressed I am able to go anywhere if Palo Verde does not have any entry level. Maybe that will increase my odds. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

Plumbing update:
Funny you mentioned the plumbing. I have a bunch of old PVC parts from previous projects. So I didn't have to spend much at Home Depot.

I have replaced the temporary garden hose with PVC. I know, you're not supposed to use PVC for this. I'm not drinking out of it. It's all I've got, and I'll dismantle it when I move out. I also connected the bathroom sink to have hot water too. There is a pipeline running through the middle of my bathroom. It's funny.

I think I read some post that your husband is a plumber isn't he? He will love this!!! Last night I forgot to cap the old hot supply line under the sink, so when i got out of the shower, there was a small waterfall coming out from cabinet under the sink. The water was back flowing through the faucet valve. The cheapo plastic angle stop broke off in my hand when I tried to shut it off. (BTY: Why they designed such a crappy valve, prone to failure, for such an important application is beyond me.) I'll change it out today. Luckily, I have a spare in my parts collection. Five bucks saved!

[Catherine]

HI Karen,

Thank you for coming over to say hi. By the sounds of us three woman we struggle with what is the right thing to do in our heads, but our hearts hurt and get in way sometimes. It crossed my mind to grab yellow sticky's and write it's just a house in every room. I undersand making this has easy as possible for the kids. Oh Paula my prayers became the same. If a miracle great if not it's okay too. I don't want this house to destroy me or any of you. I let it take over. Ever since we missed our first payment in Nov. I started keeping to myself, angry and hurt I coudn't fix it, tons of fear in my gut and tears for days. It must part of the healing process which becomes our choice on how we get to the other side. Karen please add your 2 cents anytime. I very appreciate understanding new friends. When we moved 35 minutes North of where my husband and I both grew up, left the house my children were born to to buy this house my youngest screamed and cried that we were ruining her life. Drama from a 10th grader let me tell you. Now she never wants to move back. She met her husband whom she married in our backyard last October. I tried with everything in me to find a house in our hometown. That door was not only closed it was slammed. When we put an offer on this house it was with no issue or problems. Oh it awesome to have money in my account before the next payday. I've gotten so used to not spending or watching HGTV anymore I hope I can keep that up to save every darn penny. Sorry for jumping around in this post. Shhhhhh I finished my route and popped in here for Kent.

[Catherine]

Kent,


Yes, my husband is a plumber that is why the bathroom sink drips. I was sharing your garden hose story because I was sitting here LOL when he inquired what was so funny. He got a kick out of it too. Like he says I need to be thankful he is not a telephone repair man. Please keep the humor coming, Catherine

[cactus77727]

Thanks again. I'll check with the other recruiter too!

[pjd123]

Hello Frankinco,

Wow - you've been through alot. My heart goes out to you and your wife. Thanks for sharing this information. With so many in trouble and having no choice but to walk away, things are bound to get better - even if it does take a few years.

God bless you and yours,

pjd123

[Catherine]

Waking up with my first cup of coffee starting my day to see caring, concern, understanding, information that helps from people that don't really know each other comes has a blessing above and beyond this house. It's a big world out there, but we found a small town of neighbors helping neighbors. What a gift!!!


Ladies I read your posts concerning taxes. SCARE ME We will see that through too I'm sure. Karen, I am so sorry you had to put your dog down. I have two. One of them is a love, but dumber than a box of rocks. Every time Jade comes to me or I to her for attention I worry. If something scares her she comes flying into my arms. I have to stop this train of thought for tears.

Paula I am praying with you!! If this brings us all closer to peace of mind no matter what happens that is a much better place than where I was a couple months ago.

Kent,

My prayer to start my day was you seeing a good result.

For me it's time to get ready for work and remember I need to grateful for this job. Seven straight hours of walking for 1072 meters is not my idea of a good time. The only positive note I can put is when I stare up at my bedroom ceiling for a project I coudn't wait to get to my day may help not comparing that cottage cheese I see when I look up You guys better have smiled, Catherine


A friend called me with news. I have no idea how true it is, but she said come Feb. 1st loan modifications will be taken away from the subprime servicers.

[cactus77727]

The only positive note I can put is when I stare up at my bedroom ceiling for a project I coudn't wait to get to my day may help not comparing that cottage cheese I see when I look up

Oh the humanity. Cottage cheese ceilings. Truely a cruel fate indeed. I've got a friend who remodeled his whole house, except he refused to remove the horrid cottage cheese accoustic ceiling. He said he was afraid that it might contain asbestos. I told him having to look at it every day was much more detrimental to his health than anything else. Me and my buddies still bust his chops about it to this day.

[Catherine]

Hello my new kind dear friends,

It feels like emotionally two steps forward, tripped and fell on my face. Waking up to cry in shower happens less and less, but maybe facing two days off knowing what I have to do to prepare that whole flip flop takes place whether I want it to or not. I went to bed really sad for other stories I read. Felt guilty in a way. I plan to purchase plastic storage containers after work. There is a part of me that says screw it I need to get out and have a little fun, but I know I won't. I have way too much crap to sort through. I can't keep putting this off. There seems to be a battle going on in my head today. It's screaming at me and damn if it doesn't hurt to face. I'm sorry for sharing the good, bad and ugly, but it truly helps to have friends that understand. Thank you for that, Catherine