THE JOY OF MOVING.

Just a quick (YEAH RIGHT) check in. We've had a few oops! moments with the new house which has thrown us off my extremely tight schedule that I had all planned out. Here's what happened:

• Many rooms and walls took 2-3 coats of paint. This cost twice the money and took 2 - 3 times the time. My fingers and arms were killing me after 7 days of primer, painting and repainting.
• We have to buy light fixtures as the house doesn't come with any, just wires sticking out of the wall. It took us forever to pick them out because I don't like all the silver modern-y things that seem to be 'in' right now. Then the brilliant jackasses who plastered/painted the ceilings plastered/painted right over all of the fixtures so you have to pick all of the wires and things out of the dried plaster/paint. THAT was fun for Marco. Then of course hanging the lights take time.
• The floor guy was late by 3 or 4 hours the day he was supposed to start. Apparently he usually works with a partner but for some unknown reason had to do our house on his own. Laying any sort of floor with two people is time consuming so you can imagine doing it on your own takes so much longer. He kept having to ask Marco if he could help him here and there. Then he didn't bring enough trim to finish the laminate floors the first day and then at 6 he left. Apparently in Holland you don't work until the job is finished you work until you're finished. He came back the following day, was an hour late again and still didn't bring all the supplies he needed. He had to leave in the middle of the day to go get more under layer for the carpet. Again, he left at 6, job unfinished. Finally, yesterday he came back, an hour late again, and finished up. He was nice enough (said with a thick layer of sarcasm) to lay the extra under layer with glue on it on the finished floor and then didn't bother to pick it up so now I have dried glue on my new floor that I have to scrape up with my fingernails. FUN!
• The refrigerator. My God the refrigerator. They were to deliver the fridge and stove on Friday. They arrived with the appliances, brought in the fridge and as it rounded the corner I noticed it didn't look white. It looked silver. We ordered a white one because the kitchen is white. Here's how the conversation went:

"Marco (who was walking behind the delivery men) that's not white" said sane Sarah.

Dirty-ish blank look from Marco followed by silence.

"Is that white because it doesn't look white from here?" said sane Sarah, thinking she was seeing things.

Silence from Marco and the two moving guys kept on moving.

"I'm pretty sure that's not white! That's not the right refrigerator." said now slightly irritated Sarah.

Still silence from all other parties in the room.

"Stop bringing that in here! It is not the right one!"

Moving finally stops as if my voice had finally penetrated the thick barriers of built up wax in their eardrums.

"Did you want the white one?" Marco whispers to me.

(I must interject here to say that originally we did want the silver one but after seeing the kitchen and seeing a white one we decided white would be best plus it was 50 euros cheaper).

"Yes, that's what we ordered. That's what I want."

Marco to the moving guy "That's not the right one, we ordered a white one."

"Oh it's not the right one?" said the mover guy.

(what? Did I lose so much weight that I'm freaking invisible? Am I screeching in a pitch that only wolves and bats can hear?)

"No, we ordered a white one. This is the right make in the wrong color." said me, extremely patient.

Mover guy fumbles with tag on fridge.

"Oh, it says right here it's the silver one. This is the Aarssen's at 322 Aarssen street?"

"Yes (implied dumb ass) you're at the right house you just have the wrong color fridge" said Sarah now certain I have been zapped into an alternate universe because that couldn't have been more obvious from the conversation as far as I was concerned.

"Well most people want the silver. Do you want the silver?" asked moving guy.

Did you seriously just ask me that you crazy lunatic? said Sarah in her head but out of her mouth came "Yes, I'm very sure I want the white. I have a white kitchen with a white stove and white cabinets which is why I ordered the white refrigerator. The floor model is white so I don't know why they chose to send a silver one."

"OK we'll take this back and deliver a white one tomorrow."

The take the fridge out nicking the paint twice on the way. Thanks.

Fine. So Marco calls the place to make sure the white one will be delivered the next day. Sure it will the lady says. The next day I patiently wait for the fridge to arrive. After two hours of patiently waiting I call the service center.

"Hi! I'm Sarah Aarssen and I was wondering when my refrigerator will arrive today. I was supposed to be here around noon."

"It says in the computer it was delivered yesterday."

Ligaments in my eyeballs snap as I roll them back in my head.

"It was delivered yesterday but it was the wrong one. They are supposed to deliver the right one today."

"I don't see you on the list for deliveries today. Are you sure it wasn't delivered yesterday"

Oh wait! NOW I see the big refrigerator in my kitchen, so sorry, my mistake! Gosh the voice in my head is a smart ass.

"Yes, I'm sure. Yesterday they delivered the stove and a refrigerator but it was the wrong one. It was silver. We ordered white. They took it back and said they will deliver the right one today."

"Please hold."

Holding. Holding. Still holding.

"Mrs. Aarssen I see they tried to call you this morning to tell you the white refrigerator isn't in stock but we have the wrong number for you and couldn't get through."

"What number do you have?"

Reads number.

"Why yes, that is the wrong number. Here is the right one that my husband told the woman who checked us out at your store. How long until the white one is in stock?"

"It could be up to a week or so. We do have the silver one that was delivered to you yesterday in stock. Do you want the silver one?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So supposedly Tuesday our white fridge will be delivered. If not somebody is sure to die. That somebody may be me as I fling myself off my balcony screaming "I JUST WANTED THE WHITE ONE!!!!!!!!" Of course we're on the first floor so flinging myself off the balcony would probably only cause me to chip a tooth or something equally as minor yet noticeable.

Cross your fingers the rest of the move goes OK and I will be posting my next blog entry from our new address!