In a Nutshell

Between Stanley Johnson's takeover in December and the hustle & bustle of the holidays, a number of events have passed that I didn't get a chance to blog about. Some of them at least got captured in the photo archive, but here are all the others that I never got around to mentioning:

A Done Deal
The Pennsylvania flip property is finally a done deal. We closed sometime during the first week of December and wrapped up all of the loose ends by year's end. More details to come in a subsequent blog entry.

Step Two
We used the proceeds from the PA flip to start working towards our second rental property. How's that for not letting money collect dust in the savings account? I think we got to admire the inflated numbers in our savings account for about a week before we signed a contract to fork over every penny of it. More on the new rental as the details develop.

The front view of Rental Property 2

Landlord Aches and Pains
Our tenant from Rental Property 1 moved out without notice. If you're looking for cheap thrills and ways to make your heart drop, try rolling up to your own rental property to find all the furniture gone and the place cleared out without notice. It just goes to show that you can do all the background checks in the world and think you have a good feel for someones character (we were just about ready to give him the Tenant Of The Year Award)... but you still never know a person as much as you think you do. What a deadbeat he turned out to be. But hey, at least Ruben and I now have a good story to tell about the "Law and Order" shake-down routine we reenacted once the deadbeat tenant decided to resurface. Besides that, there's nothing more to do but to regroup and move on. And so the search is on for tenant #2.

Commencement
In brighter news, at the age of (am I allowed to say?) ...V's mom earned her undergraduate degree from Southern Wesleyan University in December. Congratulations, Elena, on achieving a worthwhile milestone and exhibiting a fine example of determination and perseverance while working towards your goals.

Post-Graduation Family Portrait

Free Food
V is still pumping and breastfeeding Justin as she has done throughout his life. However, as of Christmas Eve she officially achieved her goal of keeping Justin exclusively breastmilk-fed for a minimum of six months. During the process, I learned through observation that for a working mom, keeping your baby formula-free is extremely hard work and takes way more dedication and sacrifice than I could have imagined. I'm extremely proud of you, V, and you should be proud of yourself given how important that was to you. Man, the time goes by so quickly... it's almost hard to remember the frustration, the tears, and how overwhelming and painstakingly difficult it was when we first started the whole process... If I had to sit and talk with one more lactation consultant....! But look at you now, a walking milk machine. Granted, we have no room for food for our freezer anymore, but I think Justin has enough milk to last him until high school graduation.

Full House
Also, my parents came to visit after Christmas and stayed until New Year's Day. We tried to put them out sooner but Justin actually enjoyed their company, so we let them stay. Then again, it could have been bribery given the absurd about of clothes and toys they came with. But then I guess that's what grandparents are for... (but don't even think about it... we are still putting you two on restrictions next year).



Old and Gray
When you get old enough, you start needing to actually do the math or use hints and clues to remember your age (funny... and sad... but true). Me, I use jersey numbers. And so with that said, a few days ago I gained "Patrick Ewing Status" and turned 33 years old. V sang happy birthday and Justin gleefully smashed his hands into my birthday brownies. Tonight we'll head to a local college b-ball game as our official birthday outing.

As an aside, my mom was amazed at how much gray hair I now have in my beard these days... to which I of course replied, "Wow... how old must you be if your son has gray hair already"... ha ha ha ha ha ha.

And that's when I learned that I wasn't too old to get a whoopin'.