Floor sitting

I spent most of the day sitting on the floor.

This is two days in a row.

At least today I didn't stand up and sit down a million times.

Today it was just half a million times.

We had a lot of complicated cuts today.

I'm so glad that we figured out a lot of stuff yesterday on the easiest part of the room.

Tomorrow, Tom is going to put in the last two pieces of trim (we ran out tonight) and I'm going to mop the floor, put in the rugs, clean up the kitchen and then call someone to install new bifold doors on the laundry area. The old doors are a disaster.

So, one more day and that place will be ready to rent. Again.

The photo at the top shows the corner of one of the vinyl planks. The little blue tabs are the sticky pieces that stick to the bottom of the next row of planks.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Vinyl flooring

This condo is one of my rentals. The carpet has been in that unit since we purchased it three years ago. I think that the builder put in the cheapest carpet ever because these carpets wouldn't come clean. If water was spilled it would stain - I'm serious!

I have an identical unit across the hall from this one and last year my husband and a helper installed laminate flooring over there. I'm not thrilled with the laminate. It's 100 times better than the carpet for my transplant patients, but the laminate makes snapping and popping sounds when someone walks across the floor. (not every step, but enough of them) Still, it's easier to keep clean, so I was still waiting for the right time to change out the flooring in the unit that still had the carpet.

Today was that day. We have all three of our rental units open and available right now, so tearing up the floor in one of them would be just fine because a potential tenant would have two to choose from if someone called and needed a place.



Here's the cart at the Home Depot today. We purchased vinyl plank flooring called Trafficmaster Allure in a cherry finish. What is vinyl plank? Well, it looks like a wood floor. It's long wide pieces of vinyl. They have little sticky tabs on the sides and bottoms that stick together, but the floor itself is a floating floor. It means that it doesn't stick to your existing floor. It's really pretty cool.



We didn't get it all finished today, so the couch and the table base had to come back in from the hallway outside - I forgot to take a photo before we hauled them in. I really like the way it's turning out. Normally I would have my husband call up one of his helpers and pay him to spend the day doing this, but I decided that I needed the abuse. Tom and I work well together at times and other times we don't. If it's something he doesn't want to do, then not working well together is probably the result. The first row is always the hardest. For Tom and I it was absolutely the hardest. Tom ruined three pieces out of the first four. Good thing we are fast learners! I decided that I'd try to make a template of the problem areas and that helped get us past that pesky first row. After that we went along fairly quickly and got into a groove and worked well together again. Unfortunately we didn't buy enough of the flooring, so we need to go back for 3 more boxes.

As of right now I don't know if I can get up off the couch, but I hope to finish the floor tomorrow. I think we got most of the hard stuff done today. I'll update you tomorrow (or Sunday) when we get it all finished.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Kristin

My Rental Condos

I haven't said much of substance lately. I want to, I compose wonderful things in my head all day and lose it before I get it written. I can't blame it on being busy, although I have been. I can't blame it on having house guests, or family gatherings, or parties or anything like that. I think I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment. My mind is racing. I feel like I have too many balls in the air and can't get them all juggled.

It all started when I got back from Michigan on July 22nd. One of my tenants moved out a few days before I got home and a new tenant wanted to move in the day after I got home, but I stalled them for two days so i could get the place cleaned up. I then had another tenant move out last week and then one moved out today.

Got that? Three full condos. One leaves - one moves in. Two leave. Two empty condos.

I got a phone call today that the person who just moved in, is going to move out. That means I have three empty condos.

I'm in total freak out mode.

OK, not total, but I'm getting there.

This is my larger rental - view from the front entry

I normally don't rent to people who have not been placed on the transplant list because if they aren't listed by Mayo then they are going to leave quickly. These folks who just moved in were not accepted by Mayo yet but they had a whole month full of appointments, so it was going to be totally worth their while to stay in my rental since I'm cheaper than a hotel...but if something happens, the first month is not refundable in any way. It's too much work getting these places ready for patients not to have a full month paid without question.

I had a feeling. I had an awful feeling. When the newest tenants asked to be an exception I stressed about the full month, no exception. I stressed that they were not on the list and could be told to go home at any moment. I suggested that they wait out the next round of testing and see if there was a better clue as to their status. Then I accepted their lease.

I went through my past tenants paperwork this evening and found something disturbing. All three tenants that moved in before they were accepted on the transplant list were sent home within the first month. I'm going to have to put my foot down and not rent to anyone who isn't listed. It isn't worth it for any of us, I'm finding. I've truly enjoyed meeting the people though - so that IS worth it, but it's awfully expensive for them.

I'm sending out into the Universe that I desire to have three families right away that want a lovely place to stay with the best landlady around :)

I hope you have a very blessed day.
Kristin

My rental condos

As many of you may know I rent fully furnished condos to people going through Liver, Heart or Lung transplants at the Mayo Clinic here in Jacksonville, FL. My husband and I had to find a rental condo to stay in immediately after he had his transplant and the choices we had really weren't acceptable, but we stayed in one anyway.

A few months after his transplant & as I tell the story - while he was still under the insanity that is Prednisone - he purchased three condos. Prednisone is a steroid that they give post-op transplant patients, which has a tendency to cause wide mood swings. (and in our case, compulsive condo buying)

So my husband purchased these condos & decided that since I wasn't doing anything I could renovate, decorate, furnish, maintain, market and rent the condos. I say this all with a laugh now because I do like having the condos and the people that rent from us. I love to take care of them and be their friend and help them through a real rough patch in their lives. However, I didn't need to have three of them and I didn't need to have them at that point. Tom was still very fragile and not well, so it took me a long time to get them ready to be rented.

I have a website that I use to show people what I have available and why we have the condos. It is basically what I said above, but in a much less snarky tone :) and it has pictures of two of the units. You can go see my website here at www.medrestjax.com

My website is as basic as you can get. I like it that way - no distractions. However, it gets so many comments from spammers. But this one group of spammers made me laugh. One said that they were going to report me for "stealing article" but that they had better article at (insert their spammy website url.) Then a few comments later another spammy comment saying that they agreed, I did steal the article. These were up a few weeks before I checked over there, now I moderate the comments.

This is what I received this morning.

Comment:
I congratulate on a holiday of all

(A holiday of all?? What? What does this have to do with condo rentals?)

and then a few hours later

Comment:
Will take also I from you this article, can and I on a blog will have so much comments

(Hey spammers, this isn't an article. It's my story and it is a description of my condos. I don't want comments. This is an information article for people who call me on the phone and want to see what my units look like.)

What gets me is why is it that the one page advertisement for my rental condos gets so much spammy comments. What draws people there? I am only getting a few of these spammy comments each month. I guess it would be a different story if I got hundreds of them each month, but for now, they just make me laugh. I'm not looking for comments over there at my rental condo website, I'm just passing out information for those that are interested in renting from me or interested in seeing what is available.

Here on this blog, the spammers don't care at all obout little ol' me. Maybe this post will bring them in droves!

Have a fabulous day!
Kristin


4/20/09 10:20am - I just got another comment!

Comment:
I will not understand why so my posts delete or do not publish and do not answer questions

Relentless.



4/20/09 8:28PM - Another one. This one is a doozey.
Comment:

Hi, please, help.
Does hrithik drinks beer,wine & drink cigerette?

Thenks, bro. I am vaiting for answer!!!

4/20/09 10:30PM
There must be an alcohol theme going on here. maybe it's because I talk about liver transplants. But this is what just came in. Honest, I'll stop updating in a day or two when the novelty has worn off. LOL

Yo!, please, need your help.
Whiskey and Scotch the main difference?

100 times thenks. I am vaiting for answer!!!

Rented!

I have three condos that I rent to transplant patients and for the past year, I have had one consistently left unrented. Sometimes it has been unit 502 and sometimes it has been 504. Several times both 502 & 504 have been empty at the same time, but thankfully that has only been a couple of months.

My tenant Richard lived in my Avanti unit for 14 months and just moved out and moved home about 2 weeks ago. He got the first liver transplant of the new year, so I'm pleased he stayed a few extra months to get really healthy before moving home. I was however, getting fairly nervous about getting my units filled up again.

I seriously, honestly and truly put it out into the universe to send people to me and let me help them and house them. I have been paying the rent and utilities on one of the condos for almost a year now - all of the profits dried up a long time ago - and I'm nearly out of cash. I needed to hand the stress over to someone and just believe that I'd be blessed with tenants.

About 6 weeks ago a man contacted me and within a week he and his wife decided we had the perfect place and moved in. Two weeks ago Richard moved out. I now had one full and two empty. The day after Richard left I received 4 phone calls for housing and one email. The person in the email asked if they could move in on the 25th to the unit that Richard just left. Yes I said, YES! The people who called weren't right for my location so I gave them a list of other places to try that would be better for them. About 10 days ago I showed my last unit to a couple. She loved it, he wasn't sure. Since he was sick, she let him choose and he chose a hotel. I made sure to tell her to call me back if he changed his mind.

Yesterday he changed his mind.

Today they moved in.

I am so excited. I am so happy!

To say I needed the money is an understatement, but mostly I like to be able to help other transplant patients and the caregivers.

Having all the units rented, however, helps me to focus on the people renting and not on trying to figure out how to pay for everything.

Big Huge Sigh of Relief.

Kristin

Sending Love

I am going to end up speaking about these people a lot so I had better come up with some names for them. Let's call them Annie and Jake. These are the people who I had to say goodbye to the other day. Annie had already left town, just a few days after I got them settled into their condo. She had to go back to work, as so often happens. There is only so much time off a person can take when the medical bills keep piling up - but that isn't my point of this message.

I spoke with Annie on the phone today. I was hoping to comfort her and instead she listened to me cry for a little while. When I spent some alone time with her here in Jax I casually mentioned that I was becoming a bit numb to the transplant process. I've met so many people and have heard so many sad stories of the trials of each persons disease and decline that it is not wise to internalize all of it. It is just a lot of sadness to take on, so I don't for the most part. There is also a lot of joy and hope and I fully participate in that.

When I spoke with Annie today I said, "So much for being numb!"

I did all the laundry today for the condo they rented, to get it ready for a new family. I thought about Jake with every piece that I folded. I thought about how he may live for years. I thought about how interesting to know that you have an expiration date. We all know we are going to die, but to know that it is coming sooner rather than later is a very interesting perspective. He can say all the things he wants to say to everyone. Or he can be reflective. He can love fully. He can also be angry, but I really don't think that that is part of his make up.

I, personally, don't want to live each day as if it were my last. However, having that expiration date (or time frame) is an incredible gift. Many years ago I sent out handwritten cards to a few friends and family members telling them all the things I could think of that I loved about them. It was so much fun. One of my friends wears burks with wild colored socks. It is so annoying, yet so adorably her. I love that. I think these little things that I do (that we all may do) is one of the ways we can pour love on our family and friends and let them know how much they mean to us.

I want Jake and his wife and his family to love each day and each week and each month and each year that they have each other all together. I want them to make family memories. I want Jake to live his best life. I want his bad days to be few and far between. I want their family to know that if they can't be there every day, that it's OK. Jake knows that they love him and that they have their own lives to live! He has his life to live, too.

I want to keep in touch with them as much as possible. I'm thinking maybe I'll send Annie an email with just a short message a few times a week. I love to send cards, so I will certainly send a little note every so often. The one thing I know I can do, is to send a little prayer to them each day.

If you have a moment, send a little healing prayer to Michigan.

Thanks so much,
Kristin

Saying Goodbye

I rent condos to patients of the Mayo Clinic who are going through Liver or Lung transplants. Since my husband had a liver transplant, we feel like we can help others in a way that many cannot. I love getting new families because it usually means that someone has left my condo rental with a new lease on life.

Today the family that I just welcomed two weeks ago has gone home. The doctors gave him the news that he was just not going to be helped by having a transplant. I'm thinking that the previous surgeries and the problems with this liver were just too much for his body and he probably couldn't handle the surgery.

In my eyes, Mayo is the healer and makes miracles happen. It is so hard for me to believe that they couldn't help this man. I do believe that they did all they could and that the conclusions they came to were probably the best - it is still hard to comprehend.

This family was different. I totally fell for them. I only knew them for a few hours but I was hooked. I wanted to know them forever. I was invested in their healing, as I am in all my renters, but I felt a real connection. So this news is hitting real hard.

When I got the news that they were leaving, he said that he was leaving in an hour. I decided that I would go a few hours later to pick up the key - that I'd just let him go without me crying all over him. Turns out he took a bit longer and he was pulling out of the driveway just as I was pulling in. I got to see him afterall. We talked for just a few minutes but as I turned to leave he said... "Thanks for coming into my life."

I feel so blessed. He is facing I don't know what, but he said to me - Thanks for coming into his life. I am thankful for him coming into mine.
I couldn't say a thing back, he had already rolled up the window and pulled away.

Thanks for coming into my life. I will never forget that.

Kristin

Moving Day

I rent condos to people who are in the process of going through an organ transplant - usually a lung or a liver transplant. My husband had a liver transplant, so we know what these people are going through...it has been a real nice way to help others out. We purchased three - one bedroom condos and fully furnished them. All the transplant patient and their caregiver needs to do is just bring their personal belongings and take trip to the grocery store to buy some food.

One of my "patients" just got released from the clinic, so that means they get to move back home. This also means that I am put into full gear to get the condo sparkling again to rent to the next person. Today was moving day - they moved out and I moved in. I came with cleaning supplies and food and they left with bags and bags of stuff they had accumulated in the past 4 months.

I really like cleaning the condos when people leave because the condo is back to its original condition - no clutter, just 4 or 5 books, no clothes in the closet and nothing just sitting around with no place to be stored. Every single thing has a place. I wash all of the linens - bedding, towels, comforters and duvet covers. Every single item in the condo gets dusted or submerged in soapy water. I am always so pleased to give the keys to a new renter because I know I am giving them a nice, healthy, restful place to stay during a time when they need it the most.

So today was moving day for the people I met as renters and now leave as family. I hope the next people who rent from me will be just as fortunate to have a successful transplant and can leave with many many years of life ahead of them.

Have a Great Day!

Kristin