I cannot believe how slow this process is.  We are over two years of renting.  Two years, does anyone care?  Is there anyone out there?  I don’t think so.

All is fine.  We know what fine is.  Can’t wait until it is done.

~Susan

Can’t write much.  I have been advised to not write.  I guess everything you say can and will be used against you.

We have been through motion hearings, mediations and trial changed twice, now a third time.

We have been renting for two years this month.

This is Eminent Domain.

~Susan

Wow.  I don’t know where to start.  So many things have been going on.  So many stories.

I added up the years and how long we have been looking at open houses.  Conservatory, at a minimum, at least 500 houses.  I would put that number closer to 800-1000.  Today we looked at three.  Ruled all of them out.  We are at ten years of looking for where we will live.

The second house we looked at today, the realtor knew us from years ago.  Years ago.

Who goes though this?

So many people empathize with us.

We have our mediation in about two weeks.  That is where a Judge will mediate between us and the County to settle before a Trial.  I am optimistic, not sure about everyone else. I cannot imagine this may be over.

We didn’t want to have to hire an attorney.  We tried to do it on our own.  I have learned so much. Eminent Domain is not fair.

I don’t know what else to say.

~Susan

Yep, I am going to talk about rocks.

I had a client come in last week for a review and she told me she went to 4020 after we were forced to move, that she went to our house and took some rocks for her garden.

She said she was a little afraid.  Worried about what the neighbors would think and if anyone saw her.  I assured her that our neighbors didn’t care.

She told me that she was saving the rocks for me.  That once we were settled in our next home, she would give me the rocks for my garden.  I told her I didn’t want the rocks, they were hers and I am glad she has a little piece of 4020.  I just asked her to send me a photo of her garden.

Good karma.  I only know her through work and she use to be insured with my Father.  We also connected that we use to go to the same church.  Small world.

Rocks.  Our connection is rocks from 4020 Shady Oak Road.

Amazing, isn’t it?

~Susan

We are still renting a home, it has been now over a year and a half.  We first signed a lease for a year and then did a six month extension.  We are now on a month to month lease.

The legal process is new to us.  It is slow as was our condemnation.  It took years for our home to actually be condemened and now it has taking more time for the legal process.

After we didn’t accept the counties offer for our property, we had no choice but to hire an attorney.  If you do not accept the offer of the entity that is condemming your property, you have no choice. That was made very clear by the Judge who presided over the condemnation hearing.

Our attorney then works with an appraisal company to do an appraisal and “comparable study” of our property.  This report has taken over a year and is costing us a lot of money. If I told you how much this is costing, you would understand why no one fights this and everyone settles.  How unfair.

We have a trial “block” date, which apparently is what the County does.  Our case will go to trial between August 31st and September 15th.

That puts us over two years of renting. A lot of money renting…

What else can I say right now?

~Susan

This is life.  I cannot believe what we have gone through and that this is real.

I cannot believe that we lost our home and that it was really torn down.  My beautiful house. I still dream about that house all the time.  I still cannot understand the circumstances that took it.

I know it is real.  I know it is gone.  I (we) are still renting.  Over a year of renting a house.  Looks like we might be renting for another year or so.

Wow, really?  I guess this is our new normal.  Not because of choice, but because of other peoples choices.

This is eminent domain.  This is us.

~Susan

Never thought about it before, but we are now past a year and the United States Post Office will not deliver mail that is addressed to our old address.

Our address of fifteen years.  I am pretty sure that most of my friends have not updated our address knowing that we are in temporay housing.

Probably will not get many Christmas cards…

~Susan

Not sure what to say.  Not sure where to start. We are still renting and it has been over a year.  Just signed another six month lease.  A year goes by fast.  So many things have happened over so many years, but, before I was still in my house.

My house.  I was still okay in my house until the end, then it was hard.  It was a hard move.  Exciting to some point at first, a new beginning.  So much to do, very short time.

We were condemned and found a nice rental home.  We had bedrooms painted to match what we had.  We planted plants and flowers we dug up from 4020 and planted them in our rental home.

We have gotten to know the owners of our temporary home, they know our story.

I am very tired of being in limbo.

How do you talk about the emotions that you go through?  I know, no one wants to talk.  I am not sure I want to talk any more.

I lost my “nest’, my home I brought my babies into and I want to make a “nest” or a home for my family.  But, I can never give them what we had because “they” didn’t pay us enough for a comparable home.

So, I can buy a lesser home, okay, really.  Why?  Why should any one compromise because they were forced to move?

What is fair about this?  I know I already lost, no turning back, they bulldozed our home — bulldozed it.

I someday hope the people building that frontage road learn and know about us.

~Susan

Owned by the County, looking awful. Wish someone could have moved the house.

Last photo before it came down.

Would love to say how I really feel…

~Susan

Last Sunday we went to two open houses.  This has been a regular family Sunday event for many years.  Excited to see the first home, a vintage home, like we had that was remodeled.

Oh, the disapointment.  Again.

Then we went to a beautiful remodeled 1980’s home.  Everything I said I would never look at, but it was nice.  Won’t work for us, but a nice house.  Realtor understood our situation.  Knew right away we didn’t get enough for our house.

More connections.

I only hope the people that decided our fate, have just as much time sucking moments. Most Sundays for Nine years.

I think we have looked at hundreds of homes.  Only a few have stood out and they have sold.  Not right away, there has always been a chance, but they did sell.  Right now I have not a one on our list.

Doesn’t matter, we haven’t settled yet.  But, hard to live with, given our age.

Not fair to start over, none of this is fair.  There is so much more I am not talking about, that has affected our family.

This, our situation, will never be fair.  Never.

`Susan