We got one!

After months of looking, we have found the house.  We heard yesterday that our offer was accepted and we are homeowners again!  This takes tons of stress off of us and opens the floodgates of new tasks we have to take on: choosing furniture, paint colors, cosmetic changes in the house, going to Knightstown to go through the remains of our stuff, etc.  These are a lot less stress inducing, but still a little daunting.

This comes at a good time for me as I was beginning to get used to living here at the rental.  That was NOT what I wanted to do.  I know that we all are excited to think about the new place and how we are going to fill it up with our stuff.  Molly and Betsy are in heated discussions about which room they will get.  Lori and I decided to give Molly first dibs.  Age has it's privileges. 

Now as things are beginning to roll again, I will be updating more often.  Frankly, I felt no excitement in posting that we are still in the house, still looking or updating about the houses we looked at and did not like.  I would rather tell that the house we got has 4 bedrooms, a finished walk-out basement, a really nice shaded deck area, a nice back yard that is adjacent to a common area and a pond, and a garage that has room to store things one keeps in a garage.  We want to have an open house to celebrate sometime before Christmas.

Lori and I would like to thank all of the people who were thinking about us during the last eight months.  We appreciate the support and good wishes from the many who either read this blog or have spoken to us.  The journey is not over, but a big hurdle has been cleared.  Now we finish the house process and anticipate the trial of those accused of making all of this necessary.

The latest info...

Haven't posted in a while, so here is what's happening as of today.  We're actively searching for a new place to live.  Betsy got to go to Florida with her friend for Spring Break, the rest of us stayed home and had a "staycation".  During that time Lori, Molly and I looked at six houses.  They were nice, but not what we really want.  Lori and I look at realtor websites daily to see if the people who live in our new house are putting it up for sale.  Our insurance has been great in allowing us to live here at the rental while we shop for a new house.  They have told us the amount of money we have available for the new house, so we know what price range we are dealing with.  Now we wait for the right house to appear.

Many people ask me about the lot our old house was on.  We own it outright.  All we have to do is pay our homeowners association fees and the property tax.  It may be a few years before the lot will sell, so we are looking on it as an investment that we will hold on to until its value gets back to where it belongs.  I'm thinking of having a party there this summer - all kinds of lawn games because there is no house to get in the way...

We went to the courthouse yesterday for another pre-trial hearing for the three accused of blowing up the neighborhood.  We learned that the trial will be held in June 2014 at the earliest.  Looks like our summer will be busy next year...

Here is a link to a news story about the latest from court.  Be sure to look at earlier stories about the new charge on one of the suspects.  It's good for a laugh - his lack of brains is hard to believe.

Life is going on for us here at the rental.  Betsy is playing volleyball and kickball, loving them both and doing them both at a high level.  Molly made the JV softball team as a freshman - the varsity team is currently undefeated and ranked #2 in the state.  She is playing very well and both girls are making us proud of them.  Academically they are making better grades than I ever got and it looks like that will continue.  Today, Molly got her learners permit to drive.  She is getting old.  She is slated to get her license August 2, 2014.  I am excited to get her on the road and let her drive.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the delay in posting.  Please, please email me or comment below if you would like me to let you know more specifics about what's going on.

The Blues

Lori and I have decided that we are not going to return to Richmond Hill.  It was a tough decision, but one we think is best for our family.  We are actively looking for a house to buy in the same area of Indianapolis.  This is an extremely frustrating process right now for us.  We are looking for a house that will replace the one we picked out and designed and right now there are none that fit the requirements we have determined to be must-haves in the area we would like to live. 

We have lived in our temporary house for three full months.  It started as sort of an adventure, as Molly put it.  It has now begun to be less of an adventure and it turning into a kind of "limbo" until we can get on with our lives in a new house.  We are all starting to get the blues a little bit, we need the Spring to come and with it some houses to go on the market.  Being cooped up in a house we aren't really too excited about is becoming harder to deal with.  The hardest part is the fact that all of this is out of our control.  The list below is all of the things we want to do to move on with our lives but can't until we find the house we want:

1. Move out of the rental house.
2. Go to Knightstown and look through our things to determine what will go to the new house and what will be donated/discarded.
3. Begin to look toward replacing furniture and the million other things deemed destroyed. (this may take all Summer)
4. Begin to look toward what clothes are ruined and need to be replaced for the whole family.
5. Go back to a normal life.

There are others, but the theme is clear.  We can't do anything until the house we want becomes available.  Lori and I have decided not to settle on a house in order to move quickly.  We are looking for a house that is as similar to the one that was destroyed as possible.  It is out there, I know it.  We just have to be patient and catch it as it goes by.  It is hard to be patient when finding a house and getting on with our lives is on our minds almost every waking moment.  Patience is a virtue for a reason. 

Sorry for the long delay in posting.  Basketball season just ended and the last few weeks have been pretty busy for the Crosleys.  Betsy is playing Saint Jude and Club volleyball, doing well in both, and Molly made the JV Softball team as a freshman at Roncalli.  We could not be prouder of both girls academically and athletically.  We look forward to continuing to go to volleyball and Molly's first game against Cardinal Ritter on the 25th.  Those events are bright spots for us as we live day by day in the rental and wait for our new house to go on sale.

The Indianapolis Star

Yesterday after school I heard my name over the PA at school saying I had a call on line 1.  It was a reporter for the Indianapolis Star, John Tuohy.  He wanted to know my reaction on the Prosecutor's decision to pursue a life without parole sentence for the three accused of the explosion.  I was taken aback at first to get a call at school and then to have it be a reporter for the Star.  I answered his questions for a while and then he asked if I knew the percentage of people who were rebuilding in the neighborhood.  He said he was told a figure of 50%. I told him that I have not talked to people in the neighborhood about this and did not have a number or a feeling about who is rebuilding.  Evidently he took this to mean that I have not talked to anyone in the neighborhood and have not been back at all.  He wrote:

" He said he has not visited the subdivision or kept in touch with his old neighbors."

Sorry, Mr. Tuohy, that is not what I said because it just isn't true.  I have been back to the area and have kept in touch with my 'old neighbors'.   That is frustrating.  I am thinking of contacting him and letting him know he did not understand what I said but am not sure of what good that will do.

The meeting last night was informative, we learned more about the decision process to seek life without parole and filled out some contact forms and insurance release forms to help the Prosecutor.  We met the prosecution team and found out that we will probably have to testify.  I had a chance to talk to Mr. Curry, the Prosecutor.  He was nice to talk to and seemed like a pretty good guy.  I left with a feeling that our team is better than the defense teams and that the Longworths and our neighbors will get the justice we want and deserve.  The trial may not start for more than a year.  I know by that time we will be moved in to a new house and life will be somewhat back to normal.  I hope to be able to attend the trial and see justice done.

Thanks for the emails and comments from readers.  Happy Mardi Gras!

Meeting tonight

Tonight we have a meeting with the Prosecutor and the Department of Homeland Security.  All of the people living or who lived in houses that were damaged are supposed to go.  We are asked to bring our insurance forms and other info to the meeting.  The main topic will be what was just announced, however.  The Prosecutor's office is asking for life without parole for the three accused.  Interesting. I am not a big proponent of the death penalty, and am relieved that the Prosecutor has chosen this route.  Looks like, judging from the online comments, many are not happy.  Other than my moral belief, I would like them to spend a really long time thinking about what they did if they are convicted.  Not much more to say than that because there is no sentence or ruling that will bring the Longworths back or any of the material, physical, or emotional losses that have come from this ordeal.  Spending the rest of their lives in prison thinking about the choices they made sounds pretty good to me.

No changes in the "house hunt/decision".  Still weighing options and waiting for final settlement from insurance to know what kind of down payment we can make and what our 'price point' is. 

I will post again after tonight's meeting after I have had a chance to process it.  If anyone reading this (if anyone is at all) has a specific question about what's up that I have not addressed, please email me:  pcrosley at roncalli dot org or leave a comment.  I will try to answer any question you may have.  

Two months in the rental...

We have lived in the rental house for two months now.  I was thinking last night that it could be two or even four more months before we move out of here.  Ugh.  This is a nice house and we are blessed to have it, but I think we are getting tired of living in someone else's house. That is what the rental is becoming more and more like each day.  Lori and I, on separate occasions, have driven back to Richmond Hill in the last week and parked by our lot.  She said that she wanted to just go home when she turned into the neighborhood and I felt the same way when I made the turn off Sherman Drive.  I did not want to leave the neighborhood and drive back to the rental.  Unfortunately we have no choice in that matter. 

It seems that two of the three accused of blowing up our neighborhood have filed for a change of venue for their trial.  That is their right and they should try to get that to happen.  I have read the Prosecutor's response to the Court and know that there is a snowball's chance they will get it.  We asked about that probability when we met with her and she shrugged it off and said there will be very little chance of that.  I think they should ask for a change, but not get it.  They should have no choice in that matter.

We have begun to think seriously about buying a house, the internet searches have begun. It is frustrating because there are so few we are interested in that are for sale at this time.  It may be until Spring before people put their house up for sale.  Waiting for Spring will be hard.  We are all ready to have our own house again and fill it with our own things we like instead of things provided for us. 

Roncalli's Update magazine contained excerpts from this blog in the latest edition.  I have talked to many who read it and were very nice in their comments. I hope the latest few entries aren't too whiny, but I wanted to write what I am feeling.  Frustrated, anxious, resigned, angry are a few emotions. I used to be excited to come home after work or from a day out and relax in our home. Coming back to the rental is not as good.  Coming home to Lori and the girls makes up for the feeling of walking into the rental, though.  I know this is temporary, but it is permanent right now and that doesn't look like it will change for a few months.

Back to a routine

We have fallen into such a routine lately that I just realized today it has been almost two weeks since I have updated this blog.  It's not because I don't want to or don't have time to, it's because nothing much new is happening here at the Crosleys.  

The girls and I are going to school, Lori is working.  We are in sort of a holding pattern in our lives waiting for the inventory company to go through our things and let us know what needs to be replaced and what we have to store. We are beginning to think about looking at houses to find one we like.  Looking at listings on the internet has been interesting. There are a few houses that fit what we are looking for, but not really knowing what kind of final insurance settlement we are getting makes a price point hard to nail down. Another interesting thing is that not too many people want to sell in the winter, I guess. It is hard to wait for warmer weather because I am ready to go on the house hunt and get out of the hotel house.

We still are asked about how we are doing. The answer is hard to give without sounding rude or acting as if I am tired of answering. I appreciate the concern for us and our situation. The tough thing is what to say! "We are good! We are just waiting to see what kind of houses are available and find one that we like. We can't think of anything we need right now. Not much has changed. We are just waiting on the insurance company to tell us what is next. Yes, our insurance company has been great."  All of these answers are starting to sound scripted, but they are the truth. I feel bad when someone truly wants to know what we are doing and all I can answer is "Good!"

This weekend I have spent more time in this house than any weekend since we moved in. The chairs and the couch aren't as comfortable anymore. I miss our old couch and my ancient chair.  I miss reading my books and the office room Lori and I shared. I have to go to the bookstore and get some replacements. I want to go to Knightstown and get a truckload of my stuff and bring it here.  Problem is, there is no place to put any of it.  I am ready to have my things around me again.

Enough complaining.

Last weekend was the First Responders Dinner planned by the neighborhood and Southport Presbyterian Church. It was a great dinner and recognized all of the agencies that either responded on the night of the explosion or were there to help us in the aftermath.  The mayor was there and all of the chiefs of the emergency agencies in Marion County and Greenwood. The room, food, atmosphere, service, and purpose of the night were absolutely top notch. I am looking forward to an appreciation dinner for the Prosecutor's office after the trial and conviction.  THAT will be a party.

This sudden cold weather has caused a two hour delay at Roncalli tomorrow.  Molly jumped for joy in the hallway (I may have shown some joy as well). Betsy's school has no delay. She is not pleased.  I told her it was because the grade school kids are tougher than the high school kids. She did not believe me.  Oh well. Life isn't fair, Betsy.

If you are living around here, stay warm next week. If you live somewhere else, check local listings. Take care and thanks for reading.